Giannis Antetokounmpo is day-to-day with rest and will not play Friday's preseason game against the Magic in Orlando. Miami heads into the game without its star forward as the preseason winds down and the regular-season opener approaches.
What happened
Antetokounmpo was listed day-to-day with a rest issue on the injury report released at 5:44 PM ET Friday, ruling him out of that night's preseason game against the Magic. No previous status was attached to this entry, but he had come off the day-to-day list entirely on Wednesday, after being tagged day-to-day that same day. Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Antetokounmpo, listed with a rest issue, won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Magic.
What it means for the Heat
Miami plays at Orlando on Friday night without Antetokounmpo, who averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 28.9 minutes per game last season. The Heat have not played a regular-season game yet in 2026-27, so there is no record with or without him to cite. Without Antetokounmpo, the heaviest minutes have gone to Bam Adebayo (32.4 minutes, 20.1 points), Tyler Herro (31.3 minutes, 20.5 points), Norman Powell (29.6 minutes, 21.7 points) and Andrew Wiggins (30.3 minutes, 15.4 points), with Davion Mitchell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson and Kel'el Ware rounding out the rotation.
What to watch
Antetokounmpo's expected return is listed as October 21. The Heat will put out another injury report before their next game, and his day-to-day tag is worth tracking as Miami finishes the preseason and moves toward the regular-season opener. He is not alone on the report: Bam Adebayo is day-to-day with a right groin issue, and Kylor Kelley and Dru Smith are each day-to-day with a right calf issue.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing against the Magic?
No. Antetokounmpo is day-to-day with rest and will not play in Friday's preseason game against the Magic, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
When will Giannis Antetokounmpo be back?
His expected return date is listed as October 21.