Heat at Thunder
THE STORY: The Oklahoma City Thunder have rung up some of the highest point totals in the NBA this season and are coming off a 149-140 double-overtime victory on Friday. The visiting Miami Heat have been just effective at getting wins and can run with the best of them, but they also excel at the defensive end. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Western Conference-leading Thunder will try to find a way through LeBron James and company.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SUN (Miami), FSOK (Oklahoma City), ESPN, ESPN 3
ABOUT THE HEAT (35-11): Miami pushed its latest winning streak to four games on Friday by holding the Detroit Pistons to 39 percent shooting in an 88-73 triumph. In their last four games, the Heat have allowed an average of 82.8 points. Still in second place in the East, Miami is percentage points ahead of Oklahoma City for the second-best record in the league and appears to have licked a small problem of not being able to win on the road. After dropping four straight away from South Florida, the Heat have won their last two, including Friday. James is in the midst of a shooting slump, going 18 for 47 (38.3 percent) over the last three games.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (36-12): Westbrook scored a career-high 45 points and Durant added 40 and a season-high 17 rebounds in Friday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. After trading wins and losses for two weeks, Friday marked the first back-to-back wins for Oklahoma City since March 5 and 7. The Thunder have put up over 112 points in the last eight games but have surrendered an average of 103.3 at the other end. Oklahoma City has been integrating veteran point guard Derek Fisher into the mix over the last two games. Signed to back up Westbrook, Fisher played 36 minutes on Friday, often alongside Westbrook in a smaller lineup.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. James has averaged 28.6 points and 6.9 assists in 14 career games against Oklahoma City.
2. Sunday begins a stretch of facing seven playoff teams in the next eight games for the Heat.
3. Westbrook and Durant are the first teammates in NBA history to have two games in a season with 40 points apiece.