Miami Heat tentatively set to open season in familiar place
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Barring a last-minute change by the NBA, the Miami Heat is set to open its season in a place it often has in recent years: downtown Orlando.
According to a tentative schedule circulating around the league, Miami will begin the season on Wednesday night, Dec. 23 at the Magic.
The Heat then will return home after the game and play host to New Orleans at noon on Christmas on ESPN.
NBA teams will play 72 games this season - instead of the normal 82 - and the NBA will unveil the first half of the schedule in an ESPN special at 3 p.m. Friday.
This would mark the fourth time in five years that the Heat would open at Orlando, if this schedule holds as expected.
Miami won the 2016 opener in Orlando but lost the 2017 and 2018 openers there.
The Heat opened last season at home against Memphis.
The Heat won three of the four meetings against the Magic last season, losing 105-85 in Orlando on Jan. 3 but winning the final three meetings by margins of 21, 13 and 3.
Though the Heat landed one of the five slots on Christmas day, the NBA opted not to schedule the Heat for national telecasts on opening night or the second night of the season.
The TNT openers on Dec. 22 will be Golden State-Brooklyn and Lakers-Clippers.
The Dec. 23 national telecasts will be Milwaukee-Boston (TNT) and Dallas-Phoenix (ESPN).
Fox Sports Sun is expected to televise that Heat-Magic opener statewide.
The Heat plays two preseason games - Dec. 14 at home against New Orleans and Dec. 18 against Toronto in Tampa, where the Raptors will be playing home games this season.
The Heat is expected to open the season without fans at home games.
