The NBA Cup quarterfinals tip off tonight with a high-stakes “Battle for Florida” as the Miami Heat visit the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. This marks a quick rematch of Friday’s thriller, where Orlando squeaked out a one-point victory behind Franz Wagner’s 32-point masterpiece. However, the narrative shifts significantly tonight: Wagner is out with an ankle sprain, while the Heat welcome back sharpshooter Tyler Herro to the starting lineup.
With Orlando’s Paolo Banchero still ramping up from his own injury absence and Miami looking to exploit a shorthanded Magic roster, the dynamics of this rivalry are set to change. Below is a complete breakdown of the odds, injury reports, and a prediction for who will survive and advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
Heat vs. Magic Prediction
The quarterfinals of the NBA Cup are the attention of the sporting world tonight, with a two-pack of games and the other 26 teams watching. Tomorrow night gives us the Western Conference, while we get the Heat/Magic and Knicks/Raptors on the East side of things tonight.
In this battle for the state, we get a rematch of Friday, a thriller in Orlando that saw the home team win by a point. Franz Wagner (32 points on 12-22 FG) was the star that shined the brightest, but an ankle sprain has him set to miss his first game of the season, putting urgency on Paolo Banchero as he plays for the third time after missing three weeks with an injury of his own.
The Magic rank sixth in rebound rate this season, and that’s where they stand to gain (Miami: 22nd). The visitors have Tyler Herro set to make his sixth start of the season and he’s shown no hesitation in terms of aggression season making his season debut late in November. He didn’t play on Friday against Orlando, but his accuracy from deep 15-of-31 this season) gives this offense a dimension they need.
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The loss of Wagner flips how I feel about this game. At full strength, I prefer the Magic, but they are clearly not at that. I like Herro to be the best player on the court in a game that is a toss-up with five minutes left. Miami advances with a 116-111 victory.
NBA Cup Schedule
- East Quarterfinals – Tonight
- West Quarterfinals – Wednesday
- Both Semifinals – Saturday
- Championship Game – December 16
Quest for the NBA Cup continues tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/xWPyGgfliE
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 9, 2025
Heat vs. Magic: How to Watch
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9
- Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Kia Center
- How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Heat vs. Magic Injury Reports
Heat Injury
- Vladislav Goldin – questionable
- Tyler Herro – probable
- Pelle Larsson – probable
- Davion Mitchell – probable
- Terry Rozier – out
- Dru Smith – questionable
Magic Injury
- Jamal Cain – out
- Moritz Wagner – out
- Orlando Robinson – out
- Colin Castleton – out
- Franz Wagner – out
