The Orlando Magic are set to face the Miami Heat in an NBA Cup quarterfinals showdown this Tuesday night at the Kia Center in Orlando, but the court's floor in the arena will not be on-brand.
Instead of a court that features a vivid saturated color and an image of a huge NBA Cup trophy in the middle of the floor, the game will be played on the Magic's regular flooring.
Apparently, the Magic's NBA Cup court was damaged and can't be used for the contest, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
“A look inside Kia Center ahead of tonight’s NBA Cup quarterfinal between the #Magic and Heat, Orlando’s Cup court was apparently damaged in storage so the team is using its regular court tonight,” Beede shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
Hopefully for the home team, the abrupt court change will not affect its perfect performance so far in the 2025-26 NBA season edition of the tournament. The Magic topped the NBA Cup's Group B of the Eastern Conference standings with a 4-0 record. The Heat, on the other hand, went 3-1 in group play.
The Magic will enter this showdown against Miami on the heels of a 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks last Sunday. They will also not have the services of star forward Franz Wagner, who is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a high left ankle sprain he suffered in the win over New York.
Orlando has gone 2-0 so far in the campaign against the Heat, so another win over Miami would mean a regular-season series victory for the Magic in this head-to-head matchup.
As for the Heat, they are eyeing an end to a three-game losing skid, as they begin a four-game road trip.
