Can the Miami Heat shut down John Wall and Bradley Beal?

The All-Star duo poses the biggest threat to the Miami Heat, in the team’s second game.

Second time is the charm, right? It’s only one game. Clichés are abound for the Miami Heat, after falling to the Orlando Magic 104-101.

In Josh Richardson’s case, “It comes with the good and the bad,” was the quote of choice to describe a night that, while indicative of his developed role, was a snapshot of the jitters that accompany the first game of the NBA season.

For about a quarter and a half, Miami was rolling, making the Orlando Magic look like the incomplete, height-dominated team that it is.

But as the Heat’s scoring slowed in the second quarter, it became apparent that running the Magic out of its own gym would be a task easier said than done.

The three-point loss was a crushing way to start the season, especially when it comes against a team trying to sort out a new coach and lopsided roster.

Still, Miami can embrace the “lose some, win some,” mentality, as the team enters its second game at the Washington Wizards.

This early in the season, teams aren’t solely focused on what went well.

For Miami, that’d be the continued, All-Star offensive effort provided by Goran Dragic, or the 18 rebounds that Hassan Whiteside managed to corral.

Rather, squads are keyed in on assuaging their glaring faults.

In the Heat’s case, that includes keeping players out of early foul trouble—Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr.—while figuring out how to slow down opponents’ very blatant hot hand.

While the Magic are far from a contending Eastern Conference team, Aaron Gordon’s output against the Heat was a primer for things to come.

At 6-foot-9, he played as the quintessential stretch-four: he shot 4-for-5 from 3, nabbed 16 rebounds and hit Miami with a general sense of, “No matter who you play, they can’t guard me”-ness.

Unfortunately, if Gordon proved a tough cover, then the forthcoming challenge from the Wizards, might leave Miami scratching its fiery noggin.

The Wizards field, among others, the back court tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal. A pair of All-Star guards, the chances of Miami facing a Gordon-like performance just doubled, with the added caveat of Miami having limited defensive options.

Whereas any of Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo, among others, tried their luck at covering Gordon last night, attempts to stifle Wall and Beal are better left for Miami’s wings and guards.

The Heat may luck out and not have to contend with Dwight Howard in the post, who is a game-time decision for Washington as he suffers with a piriformis strain.

But Wall and Beal will prove a couple of handfuls, particularly for a Heat team still on the mend.

Though Wall missed two of last season’s games to injury, Beal posted a 24-point average, while shooting 90 percent from the free-throw line against Miami.

In the roster’s current iteration, Richardson, Jones Jr., McGruder and Dragic are the likely candidates to shuffle about covering the Wizards’ offensive generators, as Justise Winslow and Wayne Ellington are still questionable at best for tonight.

And, if last night was any prelude to Miami’s potential struggles against Washington, early fouls could leave the brunt of the workload to Richardson.

McGruder was on minutes watch after picking up a pair of fouls early, while Jones Jr. ended the night a minute into the fourth quarter with six fouls.

Dragic also struggled, racking up five in his 32 minutes of game time.

Without a fully loaded roster and playing on a back-to-back, the Wizards should certainly be favored to stroll past the beleaguered Heat.

Coming out with a win isn’t entirely insurmountable for Miami though, particularly if Whiteside can continue to build on his offensive effort, while keeping the paint secure from rogue attacks by Austin Rivers and the like.

It’s time to prepare for another long night of Heat Basketball.