The stakes are highest as the Miami Heat hit the road to Orlando to face the Magic for the NBA Cup quarterfinals on December 9 at the Kia Center. Both teams have an identical 14-10 record in the regular season, but the Magic are 2-0 against the Heat this season. The entire outcome will depend on the availability of Miami stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

While the Magic are fifth in the East, the Heat are just behind them in sixth spot. However, in terms of form, Miami are heading to this game on the back of three consecutive defeats, including a 106-105 defeat against the Magic a couple of days ago in Orlando. Meanwhile, the Magic have also lost their last game against the Knicks in their trip to New York.

Will Bam Adebayo Play Tonight?

The Miami Heat desperately need any help they can get to break their three-game losing streak, and therefore, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro’s availability remains crucial in this quarterfinal showdown against Orlando.

According to the latest injury reports, Bam is healthy to lead Miami in Tuesday’s NBA Cup game against the Magic. The big center sustained a foot injury last month against the Denver Nuggets. He missed as many as six games before returning to the court on November 19 against the Warriors.

Overall, he has featured in 18 games this season, averaging 19.2 points, 9.0 boards and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 47.7% from the floor. The 3-time All-Star center has a decent record against the Magic, averaging 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists from 28 games throughout his career.

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Is Tyler Herro Available Tonight? Latest Injury Report for the Heat

Things are not so positive when it comes to Tyler Herro, as the guard is listed as probable for Tuesday’s game. He has been marred with injuries this season, managing to feature in only five games, where he averaged 23.8 points, 2.2 dimes, while shooting 48.4% from beyond the arc.

Herro missed the early part of the campaign as he was recovering from an offseason surgery for his posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle. He later suffered a toe injury, which has forced him to miss the last two games. His availability will be a massive boost for the Heat’s chances in this knockout game.

Meanwhile, guard Davion Mitchell, who missed the last game against the Sacramento Kings, has also been listed as probable for Tuesday’s NBA Cup game along with Pelle Larsson. Only Dru Smith is out of contention with a hip injury. Terry Rozier is another name missing following his arrest in the betting fiasco.

Will Paulo Banchero, Franz Wagner Play Tonight? Latest Injury Report for Magic

The Orlando Magic also have injury concerns as they will miss their star player, Franz Wagner, in this quarterfinal showdown. Franz sustained an injury on Sunday in the first quarter as the Magic lost 106-100. The injury looked really bad for the youngster as he landed awkwardly and was clutching his knee.

Fortunately for the Magic and Wagner, the MRI scan showed no structural damage, as he only suffered from a high ankle sprain, and as per sources, he will be out for two to four weeks, depending on how he responds to treatment. Overall, the Magic will be happy that the youngster avoided a long-term injury.

In Franz’s absence, the onus will be on Paolo Banchero to take over the reign for Orlando. The star forward has been struggling with groin issues since the start of this campaign, and during that time, Franz has maintained a 7-3 record in his absence.

Banchero is capable of putting up big numbers as he averages 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.8 dimes at 45.2% shooting from the floor in the 14 games that he has featured this season. In his 11 games against Miami, Banchero averages 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

Apart from Franz, Moritz Wagner and Colin Castlelon are out of contention for this game against the Heat.

Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Predicted Lineups

Based on the information around injuries available, here’s the predicted lineup for both teams

While the Miami Heat are going through a bad patch of form, the Orlando Magic have also lost two of their last three games, making this game extremely thrilling. However, if Herro features, the Heat will have a massive boost as Orlando will have to share Franz’s workload between rookie forward Tristan Da Silva, guards Desmond Bane, and Anthony Black.

Overall, given the Heat’s recent form and this season’s struggle against the Magic, we expect the home team to just edge past Erik Spoelstra’s men.