The Miami Heat are less than two weeks away from the 2024 NBA All-Star break, and they have five games remaining until players can hit the reset button and Bam Adebayo makes his third All-Star Game appearance.
Let's take a look and see if this stretch can keep the Heat (26-24) above .500 or put them under.
1. Feb. 6 vs Orlando
The Heat's next game is Tuesday night against the Orlando Magic (27-23) and will continue the Heat's four-game home stand that started with the 103-95 Sunday night loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. Here is a chance for the Heat to get a feel-good win vs a young, hungry team in the Magic.
Paolo Banchero has been selected to his first All-Star game and has his squad on a three-game winning streak. Franz Wagner has been in and out but seems to be back and is looking elite as ever. The last matchup was pitiful as the Magic won 107-85. But the Heat have been playing better since.
The Magic sit ahead of the Heat in the standings, and, believe it or not, this is a must-win for the Heat. Every win feels like that at this point, but with how close the standings are, you always want the tie-breaker, and the Heat winning would give them a 3-1 regular season series lead over the Magic. This win could be the difference in whether or not the Heat can avoid the play-in tournament.
However, this will be a game that the Magic should win. They're just a better team right now despite the record difference and, though the Heat lead it 2-1, the second win was not that convincing and then they were blown out. The Magic are a tough matchup and they should look to bring that one home.
Prediction: Heat lose