Grizzlies at Heat
The month of December has not been kind for Miami, but the Heat came up big on Christmas Day against the Cleveland Cavaliers in LeBron James' return to the city he brought two NBA titles. The Heat look to build upon that momentum when struggling Memphis visits Saturday in a battle of teams that play at the slowest pace in the NBA. Miami could be catching the Grizzlies at the right time, as Memphis dropped its fourth straight Friday, falling 117-111 in overtime to Houston.
The Heat have been without star forward Chris Bosh (calf) the last seven games, but they didn't need him against Cleveland because Dwyane Wade scored 24 of his 31 points in the first half. Wade's buddy, James, tallied 30 points, eight assists and four rebounds. "It brought back old times and the battles that we had,” James said. “Once again we put 30 up against each other. It’s always fun competing against such a great friend.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV, SportSouth (Memphis), Sun Sports (Miami)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (21-8): Marc Gasol scored 29 points against the Rockets, but the rest of the starters combined for 29 and Zach Randolph missed his third straight game (knee). The Grizzlies, who dropped five straight Dec. 11-18 last season, play at the slowest pace in the league with 89.9 possessions per game, and Memphis takes fewer 3-pointers and free throws than any team in the NBA. Randolph has been sorely missed; he's working on his ninth season of averaging at least 15 points and 10 rebounds per game since joining the league in 2001-02.
ABOUT THE HEAT (14-16): Miami is 5-9 this month after entering December 9-7. The Heat, who are 2-3 on a seven-game homestand that began Dec. 17, will begin a stretch in which seven of eight games will be on the road after hosting Orlando on Monday. Miami ranks eighth in the league in points allowed per game (97.6) but a closer look reveals the Heat struggle defensively, as they rank 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions (106.1).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Miami ranks 29th in the league in pace (89.5), a big reason for the vast difference between its points allowed and points allowed per 100 possessions.
2. The Heat are 1-6 when F Luol Deng fails to score 10 points and 5-0 when he scores at least 20.
3. Memphis dispatched visiting Miami 103-87 on Dec. 4 behind 20 points and 12 rebounds by reserve Jon Leuer.