The Orlando Magic tonight will face a Miami Heat team that will be at less than full strength tonight.
Shooting guard Dwyane Wade will not play because of a hamstring injury, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team completed its shootaround a few minutes ago. Spoelstra added that point guard Norris Cole is “doubtful” to play tonight because of a dislocated finger on his left hand.
Wade’s absence and Cole’s likely absence are a potential break for the Magic (6-8), who will be looking to maintain momentum after a road win Friday night over the Charlotte Hornets. In that victory in Charlotte, the Magic trailed by 23 points midway through the third quarter and by 15 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
“They have a very talented young group: a lot of high draft picks,” Spoelstra said of the Magic. “And now you’re starting to see some of that talent produce, and it’s a wide-open Eastern Conference right now.”
Orlando’s Ben Gordon, Willie Green and Elfrid Payton played together for the final 15 minutes and 33 seconds, helping to give the Magic the lift they needed.
Because that lineup was clicking, Magic starters Evan Fournier and Channing Frye played just 4 minutes and 30 seconds in the final period, and Victor Oladipo didn’t play at all. That limited playing time might help the Fournier, Frye and Oladipo feel fresher than they normally would for the second game of a back-to-back.
The Heat (6-6) will be playing the first game of a back-to-back, with a game looming Sunday night in Miami against the Hornets.
The Magic are listing injured big man Kyle O’Quinn as out for tonight’s game. Forward Aaron Gordon, who underwent foot surgery Friday, and swingman Devyn Marble also will not play.
Miami has won nine consecutive games over Orlando.
LeBron James is gone now, of course.
And, now, the Heat tonight also will be without another Magic tormentor, Wade.
Wade played in three of the four Heat-Magic matchups last season, and he led Heat players in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting.
Wade has missed Miami’s last four games, but he did some on-court work at the Amway Center this morning.
“He’s making strides,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll just evaluate him every single day. Every day, he’s been able to do more. When you have a muscle issue, you don’t want to use the word[s] ‘fast track.’ “
Josh Robbins covers the Orlando Magic and the NBA for the Orlando Sentinel. You can reach him via e-mail at jbrobbins@tribune.com and connect with him on Facebook at facebook.com/JoshuaBRobbins. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
