Heat at Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder look to recover from two straight losses and will have to do it without former MVP Russell Westbrook on the floor when they host the Miami Heat on Monday night. Westbrook, who scored a season-low seven points in Saturday’s 110-88 loss to Golden State, picked up his 16th technical of the season and faces a one-game league suspension.
“I understand sometimes when those guys are going in there and they’re getting hit and they’re getting fouled, it’s hard,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters of Westbrook’s frustration after Saturday’s loss. “And these guys invest a lot into the game.” Oklahoma City sits alone in fifth place in the tightly-bunched Western Conference and goes for a seventh straight victory over the Heat after knocking them off 118-102 in Miami on Feb. 1 as Westbrook posted a triple-double while Paul George scored 43 for the Thunder. Miami comes in on an uptick after defeating Charlotte 93-75 on Sunday for its sixth victory in the last eight contests and holds down eighth place in the Eastern Conference - one game ahead of Orlando for the final playoff spot. Veteran guards Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade, who was listed as doubtful with a hip injury before the game, combined to score 36 off the bench in the win for the Heat, which held the Hornets to 15 points in the fourth quarter to pull away.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), FS Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE HEAT (33-36): Guard Josh Richardson leads the team in scoring (16.9), but was just 2-of-17 from the field - 0-of-9 from 3-point range - in Sunday’s win and is averaging just 9.8 over his past four contests. Center Bam Adebayo, a second-year pro, poured in 16 points Sunday and is averaging 14.4 along with 7.6 rebounds over his last five games. Justise Winslow (thigh) missed Sunday’s game and is questionable for Monday while forward James Johnson returned against Charlotte after missing 11 straight contests and had six points in 17 minutes.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (42-28): George is second in the league in scoring (28.3) and has averaged 30 the past three contests with 13 makes from 3-point range combined while Westbrook tops the NBA in assists (10.5). Guard Dennis Schroder (15.4 points) is just 12-of-34 from the field the last three games and Jerami Grant (13.1) is shooting 35 percent from the field over the past four contests. Center Steven Adams was the only Thunder starter to shoot better than 50 percent Saturday (4-of-7) and averages 14.3 points along with 9.6 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Miami G Dion Waiters is 17-of-36 from 3-point range over the last seven games after connecting on 4-of-8 on Sunday.
2. The Thunder are 28th in the league in free-throw shooting percentage (71.4) and Miami (69.0) is last.
3. Heat C Kelly Olynyk scored 21 in the loss to the Thunder last month, but is 5-of-25 from the field in his last four games overall.