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Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic
It was a sour end to the season for the Miami Heat being eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Miami did little to improve the roster this offseason aside from draft picks which has left Heat fans concerned with the moves other teams have made in the conference. Pat Riley believes that this squad when healthy can compete for an NBA title. They would have the chance to impress kicking off the new season by hosting the Orlando Magic.
For the Orlando Magic it was Paolo Banchero scoring 33 points and earning himself 11 rebounds. Franz Wagner scored 23 points followed by Gary Harris who would add on 18 points all through three-pointers. The Magic would be 18 of 49 from behind the three-point line. Wendell Carter Jr chipped in from the starting lineup with 8 points but a huge contribution with 14 rebounds.
For the Miami Heat it was absolutely shocking on an opening night to see Jimmy Butler finish with just three points. It didn't get much better for Miami's other superstar in Bam Adebayo who finished the night with just nine points. The highest scorer for Miami coming from the starting lineup was Terry Rozier who finished with 19 points. Nikola Jovic who got the start would end up with 15 points followed by Tyler Herro who finished with 14.
The Magic seem to want to rely on the three ball as they attempted 27 three pointers in the first half of this game with the most ever attempted for them last season in a half was 23. They had a league low of 903 three pointers last season. Jimmy Butler was atrocious going 1 for 8 from the field and the third time in his career where he played 24 minutes and only scored three points.
The third quarter was the dagger for the Heat with the Magic pressing the foot on the gas pedal. Orlando would outscore Miami by 21 points having it 39-18. This was the most damage the Magic have done on the road since 2010 when they outscored the Boston Celtics by 25 taking a victory that night. The Magic would go on to defeat the Heat 116-97 to start the season out on the right note.
Next up for the Miami Heat is a road game visiting the Charlotte Hornets.
Written by: Daniel Torres
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