Will the Miami Heat catch some breaks early?

The schedule, on the surface, is daunting.

Six of the Miami Heat's first eight games are against teams that made the playoffs last season. And six of the first eight games are on the road.

Plus, it's likely that the Heat will play some, if not all, of those games without their leading scorer from last season, Tyler Herro -- who is recovering from ankle surgery, though still saying he will back "sooner than later."

But there may be a little relief.

In the first game, the Orlando Magic are likely to be without defensive ace Jalen Suggs, as coach Jamahl Mosley hasn't committed to Suggs being ready, even after ramping up of late.

In the second game, the Memphis Grizzlies have been without point guard Ja Morant of late, though Morant hasn't ruled out being ready for the regular season.

And in the sixth game, the Heat may avoid a matchup with LeBron James, whose sciatica is expected to sideline him for three to four weeks. It's a shame, though, since the Heat fans won't get many more chances to see James play his former team.

The likely injury absences don't mean any of those games will be easy; the Heat lost countless contests to teams without core pieces last season. Nor is Miami talented enough at this stage to overwhelm anyone.

But with the competition slightly less daunting than it initially appeared, the Heat need to find a way to come out of that opening stretch no worse than 3-5 or 4-4, and then try to take off from there. Miami's ninth and 10th games are against Portland and Charlotte, both at home at Kaseya Center.

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