Wiggins and Larsson Are Game-Time Calls as Tired Pelicans Come In

0:04The host: Andrew Wiggins woke up today not knowing if he plays tonight.

0:08The analyst: Illness, same as Larsson. Both day-to-day, both pointed at today for a return.

0:15The host: Neither one was on the injury log three days ago in Toronto.

0:19The analyst: Right, both popped up yesterday, October 7th, illness, no detail beyond that.

0:25The host: That's two rotation guys as game-time decisions two hours from tip.

0:29The analyst: Wiggins logged 30.3 minutes a night last season. You don't just shrug that off.

0:37The host: Larsson's not easy to replace either, 26.4 minutes a night, 11.4 points.

0:43The analyst: Last season's averages. Nobody on this team has played a real regular-season game yet.

0:50The host: Fine, but if both sit, it's Davion Mitchell and Lester Quinones soaking those minutes.

0:55The analyst: Against a Pelicans team playing its second straight road night.

0:59The host: New Orleans is 0-0 too, but one night of rest after a travel day.

1:04The analyst: One rest day for them, four for Miami. That gap is bigger than people think in October.

1:11The host: Zion Williamson's their guy, 21 points a night last year, when he actually played all 62 games.

1:19The analyst: Trey Murphy's the one I'd worry about, 21.5 points, 35.5 minutes, doesn't miss from outside.

1:27The host: Bennedict Mathurin too, 17.6 points a night.

1:31The analyst: Herbert Jones guards whoever Spoelstra starts at the three. 8.9 points a game last year, but it's the matchup, not the box score.

1:42The host: If that's Fontecchio or Jović out there, that's the fight to watch tonight.

1:46The analyst: None of them are hurt. Jamahl Mosley's got his whole bench available.

1:51The host: Full bench, one night of rest though.

1:54The analyst: Mosley's also coming off a 26-56 season last year. Net rating of minus 4.4.

2:01The host: Sure, but tonight still tells you who shows up ready in October and who doesn't.

2:06The analyst: A whole bench on one night of rest. That's the actual matchup, fresh legs against tired ones.

2:13The host: On our side, the hamstring news hasn't moved. Keshad Johnson's still out, still pointed at October 26th.

2:20The analyst: Dru Smith too, calf, day-to-day, but his return date says the 16th, not tonight.

2:26The host: So it's really just Wiggins and Larsson up in the air.

2:30The analyst: Everyone else on the log is settled. Johnson's out, Smith's out. That's it.

2:36The host: Here's the number I actually want to get to. Fontecchio.

2:41The analyst: We said watch his minutes last time out in Toronto. The shooting number's in now, 70.8% true shooting over his last 10 games.

2:51The host: That's elite. Better than anybody on this roster not named Giannis.

2:56The analyst: It's also the exact number we flagged five nights ago, and it still doesn't tell you if Spoelstra trusts him with real minutes.

3:04The host: So we didn't actually get an answer.

3:06The analyst: We got a shooting percentage off a small sample, and he's not even getting starter minutes to produce it. That's not the same thing as trust.

3:15The host: Fair enough. Back to October 3rd for a second. Heat beat Toronto 129-105.

3:21The analyst: Hardaway Jr. led with 14 points. Larsson had 13, which matters if he's limited tonight.

3:28The host: He played through whatever this illness is three days ago and still got buckets.

3:33The analyst: That's the context for a day-to-day tag. Not nothing, but not a scratch either.

3:38The host: One game logged all preseason so far. Everything else is still camp evaluation.

3:44The analyst: Which is why nobody should overreact to an illness tag in October.

3:49The host: Ball's up in about two hours. Then it's straight to Minnesota, two days from now.

3:54The analyst: One more thing before we go. Anthony Chiang filed a Heat notes piece yesterday, Thompson, Gardner, the offense, Cole.

4:04The host: Filed, not opened. We don't know what's actually in it yet.

4:08The analyst: Correct. Don't report it as fact, right now it's a headline with a byline.

4:13The analyst: My verdict, Wiggins and Larsson are game-time, and until we see them warm up, don't bank on either one.

4:21The host: My counter, watch Fontecchio's minutes tonight, see if that shooting number finally buys him more run. And check the Heat section on Hoops Nightly for whatever's actually inside Chiang's notes.