Heat at Nets
THE STORY: With first place in the Eastern Conference all but awarded to the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat look to secure the No. 2 spot Sunday as they visit the New Jersey Nets. Miami enters Sunday's action a half-game up on the Boston Celtics for second place in the conference, one game ahead in the win column. Miami can clinch the division with a win coupled with an Orlando Magic loss. The Nets have dropped five straight games.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, SUN, YES
ABOUT THE NETS (23-52): New Jersey had playoff aspirations when the season began, despite winning just 12 games all of last season. Those expectations proved lofty, but the Nets have shown progress, nearly doubling their win total. They were on the wrong end of a celebration Friday night, falling 115-90 to Philadelphia as the 76ers clinched a playoff berth. Brandan Wright led the way with 15 points in a reserve role for the Nets, who received just 34 points from their entire starting five. The Nets finish up their regular-season schedule with home games against Minnesota, New York and Charlotte and road treks to Detroit, Toronto and Chicago.
ABOUT THE HEAT (53-23): Miami has bounced back nicely from a stunning loss in Cleveland on Tuesday, blowing out Washington on Wednesday before cruising to a 111-92 victory in Minnesota on Friday. Dwyane Wade scored 16 of his 32 points in an electric third quarter while LeBron James added 27 points and 10 assists and Chris Bosh chipped in 24 points and 10 rebounds. That victory kept Miami inches ahead of Boston as the teams jockey for what will likely be home-court advantage if the two teams advance to the second round of the playoffs. Given the teams are a combined 57-18 at home this season, that advantage could be significant.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Wade, James and Bosh have been better than ever, averaging a combined 84.6 points over their past five games. Brook Lopez had just 11 points against Philadelphia but is coming off a strong March in which he averaged 21.4 points on 52.5-percent shooting.
KEY STATISTIC: 2006-07 – the last time the Heat won the division title. They went on to lose four straight to Chicago in the first round of the playoffs.
SEASON SERIES: The Heat beat New Jersey convincingly in their previous two meetings, cruising to a 101-78 road win on Oct. 31 and handing the Nets a 101-89 defeat six days later in Miami. They've won six straight encounters overall.
KEY INJURIES: NEW JERSEY: G Ben Uzoh (knee); F Kris Humphries (ankle); F Damion Jones (foot). MIAMI: F Mike Miller (knee); G Mario Chalmers (knee); F Udonis Haslem (foot).
LAST WORD: The Heat are considering the addition of center Eddy Curry for some post-season depth up front. The seven-footer was dealt to Minnesota in the three-team trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks earlier this year, but was promptly bought out.