Suns at Heat
The Miami Heat look to pull themselves out of a tailspin that has them sitting outside playoff position, and begin to move forward again when they host the league-worst Phoenix Suns on Monday night. The Heat, who are suddenly 1 1/2 games out of eight place in the Eastern Conference, have dropped eight of 10 games after suffering a demoralizing 119-96 setback against Detroit on Saturday while falling to 11-17 at home.
“They played better than us, in every aspect of the game,” Miami veteran guard Dwyane Wade told reporters of the Pistons, who had played the night before. “It’s disappointing, but here we are. I don’t have answers. I wish I did. But obviously we’ve been talking about this all year. You can’t just turn it on because the game means more." The Heat have won four straight against the Suns, including a 115-98 triumph in Phoenix on Dec. 7, and 16 of the last 17 meetings - eight in a row at home. The Suns, who complete a five-game trip Monday, are trying to put an end to a franchise-worst 17-game losing streak after coughing up a fourth quarter lead in a 120-112 loss at Atlanta on Saturday. “We didn’t play smart and we didn’t have enough discipline to finish the game,” Phoenix coach Igor Kokoskov told reporters. “It’s a shame because I think we tried and we gave our best. The effort was there, but as I keep saying, effort alone is not enough.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE SUNS (11-50): Tyler Johnson poured in a season-high 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting (4-of-6 from 3-point range) Saturday in his fifth game with the team after scoring single digits in the first four. Devin Booker leads the team in scoring (24.7) and assists (6.7) after averaging 28.0 and 7.5 in the past two games while rookie big man Deandre Ayton notched his fourth double-double in February on Saturday (14 points, 12 boards). Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging 21.7 points the last three games, including 10 made 3-pointers.
ABOUT THE HEAT (26-32): Veteran guard Goran Dragic (knee) scored four points in 16 minutes Saturday in his first appearance since Dec. 10, but two other regulars sat out and another was lost during the game. Justise Winslow (knee) and James Johnson (shoulder) were forced to watched from the sideline Saturday while forward Rodney McGruder suffered a bruised right knee in the first half and all are questionable. Leading scorer Josh Richardson (17.6) recorded 22 points against Detroit and Dion Waiters has averaged 18 over the last five contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Phoenix F T.J. Warren is second on the team in scoring (18.0), but is questionable after missing 12 straight games with an ankle injury.
2. Miami C Hassan Whiteside recorded his team-high 29th double-double Saturday (13 points, 15 rebounds).
3. The Heat are third in the league in scoring defense (105.9) and the Suns give up 116.1 per contest to sit 28th entering Sunday.