Warriors at Heat
The Golden State Warriors are off to the best 12-game start in franchise history and are showing off the depth of the roster while battling through some injuries. The Warriors will aim for their sixth straight win when they continue a five-game road trip at the Miami Heat on Tuesday. The Heat have leaned on the defense in back-to-back victories and won three of the last four despite Dwyane Wade sitting out with a hamstring injury.
Wade has missed six straight games and remains day-to-day, but his injury is giving Mario Chalmers another chance in the starting lineup and the Kansas product is taking advantage. Chalmers is averaging 20 points and seven assists in the last six games but will be tested on the defensive end while going up against Golden State stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry and Thompson both struggled with their shot on Sunday but the Warriors got unexpected contributions from Marreese Speights in pulling out a 91-86 win in Oklahoma City.
TV: 7:30 p.m. NBATV, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), Sun Sports (Miami)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (10-2): Golden State is already without David Lee due to a hamstring injury and lost Andrew Bogut early in Sunday’s game to an orbital contusion, pushing Speights into a bigger role. The veteran forward responded with a season-high 28 points and is averaging 17.4 points on 63.5 percent shooting over the last five games despite logging an average of just 18.2 minutes in that span for a team that continues to rise. “Four short years ago we were just trying to be a successful basketball team, whatever that meant,” Curry told reporters. “Now, you fast forward to being here at 10-2, with the best start in franchise history; that’s something to be proud of…You have to capitalize on the start and be ready every single game until that last game in June.”
ABOUT THE HEAT (8-6): Miami leaned on its two healthy stars, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng, to pick up wins with Wade on the bench and the two stepped up. Bosh scored 14 of his season-high 32 points in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win at Orlando before Deng led the way with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting in Sunday’s 94-93 triumph over Charlotte. That victory ended a three-game home losing streak for the Heat, who are just 4-4 in their own building after posting a 32-9 home record behind LeBron James last season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors have won at the Heat in each of the past two seasons, including a 123-114 triumph on Jan. 2, 2014.
2. Miami G Norris Cole (dislocated finger) sat out the last two games and remains day-to-day.
3. Bogut and Golden State G Leandro Barbosa (knee) are both questionable.