Heat Fold In Finale, Face Five Injury Tests Before Opener

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 17

The Heat's preseason finale ended in a 136-115 blowout at Orlando, with the bench outscoring the starters 63-44 in a loss that means nothing on the record. What matters now is the injury list: five players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, are targeting the October 21 opener against the Timberwolves.

Heat Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Blown Out In Orlando

Orlando buried Miami's preseason finale, 136-115, pulling away with a 38-point third quarter after trailing by two at halftime. Ryan Conwell led all scorers off the bench with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting and seven assists, but finished minus-20 over 30 minutes. Andrew Wiggins scored 13 on 4-of-7 shooting over 15 minutes before Erik Spoelstra cleared his regulars; the bench outscored the starters, 63-44. Paolo Banchero answered with 24 points on 13-of-16 from the line, and Desmond Bane added 23, hitting 7-of-12 from three.

Roster Moves

Miami added forward Ezra Ausar on October 17, a day after Ian Schieffelin left the roster. Ausar is already Day-To-Day with an undisclosed issue, one of five Heat players carrying that tag into the opener. Pelle Larsson, Bam Adebayo (right groin), Giannis Antetokounmpo (rest) and Dru Smith round out the list, each targeting an October 21 return.

Opener Set

The regular season opens October 21 against the Timberwolves on ESPN, the same date doctors are targeting for all five Day-To-Day players to clear. Minnesota is the last team to beat Miami this preseason, a 124-125 loss on October 10.

Cap Picture

Miami's payroll is $209.1M, over the first apron line, after the Ausar move. The Heat's 2027 first is protected and owed to Charlotte, with a similarly conditional 2028 pick also headed there, while Miami owns its 2029 first outright.

Bottom Line

None of Orlando's blowout carries into opening night — a preseason score doesn't move the record, and garbage-time rotations mean less than the injury report. Five bodies need to clear by October 21 for this to be a real opener, not a reprise of a preseason that didn't count.

When does the Heat's regular season start?

The Miami Heat open the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the Timberwolves, broadcast on ESPN.

Who is Ezra Ausar?

Ausar joined the Heat on October 17 and is already listed Day-To-Day, one of five Heat players targeting an October 21 return.

By the Heat Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.