Heat at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are coming off one of their easiest victories of the season but will see the competition ramp up considerably when the defending champion Miami Heat visit Wednesday. The Warriors demolished the fading Philadelphia 76ers 123-80 on Monday despite again being without starting center Andrew Bogut (shoulder). The big man and backup Jermaine O’Neal (wrist) both figure to sit again Wednesday.
Golden State’s smaller lineup — with David Lee at center and Draymond Green at power forward — might be a better matchup against the Heat, who prefer to play small. Miami posted a 103-97 win at Phoenix on Tuesday and is 2-1 on the current six-game road trip. The Warriors earned a 123-114 victory in Miami on Jan. 2 as Stephen Curry went off for 36 points and 12 assists while tying a record for the most 3-pointers against the Heat with an 8-of-15 effort from beyond the arc.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, Sun Sports (Miami), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE HEAT (36-14): The Warriors went to a small lineup for much of that win at Miami, using Bogut for only 18 minutes in the contest and confounding LeBron James with a host of different defenders. James scored 26 points but committed eight turnovers in that setback. James controlled the pace with 37 points, nine rebounds and five steals Tuesday, bouncing back from a 13-point effort in a loss at Utah on Saturday. The superstar’s performance at Phoenix came after he told NBA TV, “I’m going to be one of the top four that’s ever played this game, for sure.”
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (31-21): Golden State had been struggling with slow starts but had no trouble getting out of the gate against Philadelphia on Monday and ended up with a 66-33 lead at the half as Marreese Speights came off the bench to pour in a career-high 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting against his former team. “I thought he was fabulous,” coach Mark Jackson told reporters of Speights. “He has been working extremely hard and waited for his opportunity and took full advantage of it.” Curry’s 6-of-9 performance from beyond the arc was overshadowed by the strong team effort, but the All-Star guard is enjoying a hot streak with an average of 29.2 points on 55.3 percent shooting over the last five games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The road team has taken the last three meetings, including a 92-75 triumph for the Heat last season in Golden State.
2. Miami G Dwyane Wade sat out Tuesday game with migraine headaches and is day-to-day.
3. Lee (shoulder) posted 13 points and 13 rebounds in his return from a two-game absence Monday.