Whiteside supplies Heat with double-double in win
MIAMI -- Hassan Whiteside finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 112-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
Whiteside also sustained a cut between his fingers and was getting stitches postgame. The team will know more about his status Wednesday, coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Heat took the lead for good after a 21-3 run midway through the second quarter. Wayne Ellington keyed the spurt with three consecutive 3-pointers. Tyler Johnson's layup with 3:21 left capped the spurt and increased the Heat's lead to 52-39.
The Suns closed to 61-54 on T.J. Warren's layup with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter before Miami ran off 13 straight points in the next 2:49. Whiteside's hook shot ended the run and gave Miami its first 20-point lead at 74-54.
The win moved Miami (35-36) one game ahead of Detroit for eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Whiteside's performance surpassed former Heat center Rony Seikaly for two Miami records. Whiteside now has 936 career rebounds, eclipsing Seikaly's previous mark of 934. His double-double output increased his consecutive streak to 13, surpassing Seikaly's 12 in 1991-92.
Tyler Johnson had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Goran Dragic shook off a cold shooting first half, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the second half for the Heat.
Josh Richardson and Willie Reed scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Ellington and James Johnson were Miami's other double-figures scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Marquese Chriss led Phoenix with 24 points. The Suns (22-49) have lost seven of their last eight.
NOPTES: C Hassan Whiteside was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for March 13-19. Whiteside averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in the Heat's victories over New Orleans and Minnesota and a loss to Portland. He finished with double-double points and rebounds in all three games, giving him 48 for the season, five short of Miami's season record. ... The Heat close out their five-game homestand Thursday against Toronto. ... G Leandro Barbosa returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games because of an illness. Barbosa scored 13 points. A lower left leg contusion sidelined G Ronnie Price for the second straight game. ... The Suns will reach the midpoint of a six-game road trip on Thursday at Brooklyn.