The Miami Heat officially kicked off their season in Orlando against the Magic. Both teams are projected to go in different directions. The Magic are regarded as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference; meanwhile, the Heat might not make the playoffs, depending on who you ask.

Both squads were healthy for the most part, as the Heat were without All-Star guard Tyler Herro, who is recovering from an offseason foot surgical procedure, and rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionas was also ruled out due to a right groin strain. Sophomore center Kel’el Ware was questionable with an ankle injury, which he suffered towards the end of practice on Tuesday, but was later upgraded to available.

The Magic were only without center Moe Wagner, who is still recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. All-Defensive guard Jalen Suggs was questionable with a left knee injury, but was later made available.

The starting fives for both teams:

Magic: Jalen Suggs-Desmond Bane-Franz Wagner-Paolo Banchero-Wendell Carter Jr.

Heat: Davion Mitchell-Norman Powell-Andrew Wiggins-Nikola Jovic-Bam Adebayo

The Heat would need to outrun the Magic, as they’ve been preaching all training camp and preseason, to overcome the margin of size. Also, it’s worth noting that Erik Spoelstra had Ware coming off the bench, as he did in the first three preseason games.

Spoelstra challenged the 21-year-old to make a game impact and that’s what he was looking for from the former first-round pick last night.

It was also a debut night for a couple of players with their respective teams. Norman Powell, Simone Fontecchio, and Desmond Bane were offseason acquisitions for each franchise, and Tyus Jones signed with the Magic as a free agent this summer.

The Heat ultimately fell short of victory, with a final score of 125-121. The Magic came alive in the fourth quarter, but they still left many great impressions about the team moving forward.

Here are the biggest takeaways from last night's game:

Heat; Welcoming the new guys:

As mentioned, last night was the official debut of some new faces, and for the Heat, those were Powell and Fontecchio. Both new additions found a rhythm that made it appear as if they were already part of the team before.

Powell kicked off the season on a strong note in his Heat debut. He started and finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists, an assist, and a steal in 36 minutes of action. The veteran guard also recorded four three-pointers made, which led the team.

Powell scored the first points for the Heat from behind the arc, in which Adebayo was also shoved down to the hardwood after setting a screen, resulting in a four-point play. No better welcome for the 32-year-old.

Fontecchio also looked great in his Heat debut. He may not be as flashy as Powell, but the veteran forward can impact winning with his shooting and size. The Italian forward finished with 13 points, which tied with Jaime Jaquez Jr. in leading the bench unit.

As both of them continue to get acclimated to the Heat and Spoelstra's system, the offensive firepower will grow stronger as the season progresses.

Another impressive performance was from Mitchell, who finished with 16 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds. He isn't new, but this is his first full season with the Heat, also did a tremendous job fulfilling his point guard duties.

Heat; Playing what they preach:

The Heat have been preaching since training camp about playing at a faster pace, which they showed last night. The team finished with 22 fastbreak points, but also had more opportunities that weren't converted.

As the Heat have a younger group compared to recent years, the roster has the right personnel to run up and down the court.

After most of the league has also played at least one game to begin the season, the Heat have the third-best recorded pace of 111.50, tied with the Magic. That alludes to how they didn't convert on all their fastbreak opportunities; the Magic are younger, bigger, very athletic, and can match their speed.

"We can be one of the fastest teams; we have the personnel," Mitchell said in his postgame presser. "We got guys who can make plays, we get off the ball, guys who can score the ball at will, I think that's our identity, play faster." 

Heat; Lack of control:

The Heat only committed two more turnovers than the Magic, 17 to 15, but it led to 25 extra points. Even without a natural facilitator, most of them were rather forced than reckless. The Magic have tremendous size and length at every position, which is their biggest advantage, especially on the boards.

They didn't win the rebounding battle against the Heat, but managed to finish with 18 points off nine offensive rebounds. In the fourth quarter, the Magic grabbed five offensive rebounds for nine second-chance points, which helped cement their victory.

"I think what got us in a little bit of trouble is a few bad shots that we took in the one-pass possessions to a shot," Powell said in his postgame presser. "Not being able to get into our offense and the turnovers. Some of the careless turnovers, we've got to limit those, where we're not being aggressive, we're just fumbling the ball, losing the ball, we've got to show up in that area."

Heat; No trust in Ware?:

The Heat could have used some size during that fourth quarter, but didn't see much of their only seven-footer on the standard roster. Ware only played three minutes out of the final 12 of regulation. He finished with seven points, four rebounds, a steal, and a block in just 14 minutes of action. Drastically different numbers from his preseason stints.

The Heat could have used more of Ware, especially as the Magic took control of the glass and came through with some electric second-chance points.

When Spoelstra was asked about the situation in the fourth quarter, he responded with what went into those decisions.

"I had Kel'el out for too long," he said in his postgame presser. "We trusted the group that we had out there. He'll get there. We're going to continue to fast-track him and it'll be all hands on deck."

It is only the first game out of 82, but the Heat showed great signs of the team they can potentially be.

"I see a blueprint for us," Spoelstra added. "I think there are some things that are going to get better and better as we spend more time with each other. The bottom line is, we've got to find a way to get a win, and that's what we'll focus on going to Memphis."

The Heat will take on the Grizzlies this Friday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.