Magic notebook: Calf strain prevents Tobias Harris from playing against the Heat

Through Friday, no NBA player had traveled more miles during games this regular season than Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris.

Harris had sprinted, jogged, backpedaled or walked a total of 35.8 miles — 3.7 miles more than the next-closest player in the league, the Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker — according to the league’s SportVU player tracking system.

“I saw that also,” Harris said. “It was pretty impressive.”

For the time being, however, Harris won’t be logging any more miles on the court.

Harris sat out Saturday night’s game against the Miami Heat at the Amway Center because of a strained right calf. Harris said he suffered the injury during his pregame shooting routine Friday night, before the Magic beat the Hornets 105-100. Harris still played 40 minutes, tallying 17 points and 16 rebounds.

“I just gutted it out and played on it,” Harris said. “I knew [the injury] was nothing crazy.”

Harris received an MRI on Saturday, and the exam confirmed that Harris had suffered only a strain. Coach Jacque Vaughn said Harris will be re-evaluated Sunday, and Harris added he expects to be considered “day-to-day.”

Entering Saturday, Harris led the Magic in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game.

‘Spo’ says
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked whether he thinks Magic center Nik Vucevic is a possible All-Star.

“If he had all of his games against us last year, he would’ve been an All-Star,” Spoelstra said.

“He’s a heckuva player. You can’t just say he’s a good ‘young player’ anymore. He’s a very good NBA basketball player. [He’s] multi-skilled. He’s big. A big target. There’s not a whole lot he can’t do from the center position.”

Bosh’s thoughts
Heat power forward Chris Bosh watched on TV as the Magic recovered from a 23-point deficit midway through the third quarter Friday night to shock the Hornets.

Bosh thinks the Magic have improved.

“I think their execution is better, and that goes with having some added pieces and returning their core,” he said. “Even though their record didn’t reflect it, you had to come and play [hard] against these guys every night. They were young, but they competed, and it was never a walk in the park. It was always a very hard-fought game even if we won most of ’em.”

McRoberts in Miami
Magic fans no doubt recognized a familiar person in the Heat’s playing rotation: 6-foot-10 forward and former Magic player Josh McRoberts.

The Magic acquired McRoberts almost as an afterthought in the four-team, 12-player trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in Aug. 2012, and McRoberts played sparingly during his Magic tenure. He played so little that the Magic granted his wish to trade him, dealing him to the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 21, 2012, for cash and a player Orlando immediately waived.

But McRoberts re-established himself in Charlotte, becoming one of the Bobcats’ key playmakers. This past offseason, he signed a lucrative free-agent contract with the Heat.

An offseason injury slowed the acclimation process between McRoberts and his new teammates, but Spoelstra said McRoberts has been as advertised: a passing big man who can also shoot from long distance.

“We’re working him back into the fold right now, but certainly his playmaking is something we need,” Spoelstra said. “That’s going to take some time for our guys to get used to it, having a big guy that can pass like that.”

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.