Suns at Heat
With the first half of their Florida double shot ending in victory, the Phoenix Suns carry some momentum into Monday night's showdown with the Miami Heat. Goran Dragic exploded for 23 points and 13 assists to lead the Suns back above the .500 mark with a 104-96 triumph over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. The task figures to be much tougher in Miami, with the defending-champion Heat having won six consecutive games and nine of their last 10.
Miami is coming off its own victory over Orlando - two of them, in fact - and are starting to roll after their customary slow start to the year. LeBron James averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and seven assists in the home-and-home sweep of the Magic while Dwyane Wade scored 27 points in the second win after sitting out the first game to rest his ailing knee. Monday marks the final home game for Miami before embarking on a two-game trip to Cleveland and Toronto.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSAZ (Phoenix), SUN (Miami)
ABOUT PHOENIX (7-6): It can be difficult for point guards on subpar teams to generate much offense but Dragic is excelling despite the limitations of the Phoenix roster. He dished out 44 assists over the past five games while showing off a deft scoring touch, averaging nearly 20 points over that stretch. His offensive contributions have been even more important with shooting guard Eric Bledsoe missing the previous four games with a bruised shin.
ABOUT MIAMI (10-3): James' numbers are taking some interesting turns in the early part of his 11th season. The 28-year-old superstar is seeing his scoring average (25.3), assists (6.8), rebounds (5.8) and steals (0.9) all drop from the previous year but his field-goal percentage is an astounding 59.7 percent, and he's hitting 48.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. He has scored in double digits in 508 straight games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in NBA history.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. In Sunday's victory, the Suns became the first team since 1985 to win despite making just one free throw.
2. Miami has won the last six meetings, including a 97-88 victory in their previous game on Nov. 17, 2012.
3. James averages 28.3 points on 49.3-percent shooting in 19 career games versus Phoenix.