The Miami Heat will meet the Orlando Magic on the road on Friday in a game that already looks weird on paper.
The Magic will be without nine players for the contest, according to their injury report. Of those nine players, several will be sidelined due to health and safety protocols.
In addition to the Magic players who are listed as out, multiple guys are listed as questionable. Cole Anthony is one of them, and Orlando would certainly prefer to have him in the lineup if possible.
The youngster is having a really solid year in his second season at the NBA level. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
The Heat, of course, are expected to be without multiple key players themselves. Both squads will be shorthanded for the contest, which makes it sort of hard to predict how the night will unfold.
Of course, under normal circumstances, this would be a game that Heat fans would expect their team to win easily. Miami is 17-12 on the season, and Orlando is just 5-24.