Basketball - The Friday Flash

Through 0 Quarter

It's a close one, but it looks like the Orlando Magic's home crowd might be making the difference. Either squad is in a position to win, but they lead against the Miami Heat 4-2.

The Magic have been relying on power forward Paolo Banchero, who has four points, and center Wendell Carter Jr., who has zero points. Miami hasn't had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to two points or fewer.

this is the first time they have ever been down going into the first quarter

Who's Playing

Miami @ Orlando

Current Records: Miami 36-32; Orlando 27-40

What to Know

The Miami Heat have enjoyed the comforts of home their last six games, but now they must head out on the road. Miami and the Orlando Magic will face off in a Southeast Division battle at 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Amway Center. The Heat should still be riding high after a victory, while Orlando will be looking to right the ship.

The Cleveland Cavaliers typically have all the answers at home, but on Friday Miami proved too difficult a challenge. Miami came out on top in a nail-biter against Cleveland, sneaking past 119-115. Miami's small forward Jimmy Butler did his thing and had 33 points in addition to five rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Magic came up short against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, falling 131-124. Despite the defeat, Orlando got a solid performance out of point guard Markelle Fultz, who had 25 points and six assists.

Barring any buzzer beaters, Miami is expected to win a tight contest. But bettors beware: they are only 15-31-3 against the spread when favored.

Miami's win brought them up to 36-32 while Orlando's loss pulled them down to 27-40. A couple offensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: The Heat are stumbling into the matchup with the fewest points per game in the league, having accrued only 108.5 on average. The Magic have experienced some struggles of their own as they are fourth worst in the league in points per game, with only 111.3 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.