The Magic and Heat square off in Orlando on Sunday in a matchup between teams that pulled off perhaps the two most significant trades in the NBA before Thursday's deadline.

The division-leading Magic (40-14) acquired Alston from Houston on Thursday to help fill the void left by All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson, who's expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

In his first game with the team Friday night, Alston had three points and was just 1-for-9 from the field in 29 minutes off the bench. But he also had eight assists, three steals and one turnover while successfully running Orlando's offense in a 92-80 win over Charlotte.

"Everywhere I looked, I had a weapon to pass it to," said Alston, who was averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 assist with the Rockets. "I think point guards in this league would love to be in that situation. Everywhere you turn, you've got a guy who can flat-out shoot it or can drive it and finish."

Knowing they needed an upgrade at the point to contend with Boston and Cleveland in the East, the Magic had no complaints with Alston's debut.

"He's a pass first, then shoot guy," said forward Hedo Turkoglu, who had 24 points and shot 7-for-13 Friday after combining to shoot 7-for-35 over his previous three games. "He was good tonight, creating a lot of good stuff for everybody."

The Magic targeted Alston as the cure to their point guard woes partially because he played under Magic coach Stan Van Gundy with the Heat during the 2003-04 season.

The Heat (29-25) pulled off a major deal of their own before the deadline, trading Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Toronto for O'Neal and Jamario Moon on Feb. 13.

O'Neal, a six-time All-Star center, had 13 points in his first game with Miami on Wednesday before scoring 17 points with 10 rebounds in a 97-91 win over Philadelphia on Saturday.

"I felt so much more comfortable tonight than I felt the previous night," said O'Neal, who was 8-for-12 from the field against the 76ers. "I've been working hard and we feel like we have a chance to keep building from here."

Heat star Dwyane Wade thinks the end of Saturday's game was a good indicator of future success. Miami trailed by three with 2:51 remaining before scoring eight straight and closing the game on a 13-4 run.

"A lot of games are going to come down just like this one ... and these are the games we're going to have to win," said Wade, who had 25 points and nine assists. "These are the games that make you feel good when you pull them out."

The Heat and Magic have fared well within the Southeast this season, going 7-3 and 9-2 against division rivals, respectively.

They've split their first two meetings. Orlando outscored Miami 19-11 in the fourth quarter of an 86-76 home victory Jan. 2, extending its win streak against the Heat to 10 games.

Miami snapped that skid with a 103-97 home win Jan. 24 but has still lost five straight in Orlando since a 110-100 victory Feb. 15, 2006