Miami Heat Host Clippers Without Dwyane Wade

The Heat (6-5) needed a bit of luck to take on a strong L.A. Clippers team. They didn’t get it.

The team sent out the news (via Twitter) that Dwyane Wade, who has missed the past three games due to a strained hamstring, will sit out Thursday’s game against the Clips (6-4).

Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts, both of whom were questionable, appear to be ready:

While Deng and McRoberts will surely help Miami’s chances, the Heat have looked mediocre at times without Wade. His scoring and ability to facilitate the offense has been a key component of Miami’s early success moving the ball and finding open teammates along the perimeter or cutting toward the rim. It didn’t help that McRoberts, also an excellent passer, has been out as well (foot blister).

The Heat will need Mario Chalmers to step up once again, probably as part of the starting lineup. He played that role well in Monday’s victory over Brooklyn and he’ll need to match the scoring output of sharpshooter J.J. Redick of the Clippers. Redick is active without the ball and comes off screens well; Chalmers will have to stay locked on to him at all times. Similarly, how will Miami’s point guards – Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier – be able to contain Chris Paul? Perhaps the best PG in the league, Paul’s savvy passing and scoring need to be restricted.

But the most important matchup of the night will be in the frontcourt, where Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra must decide how to guard Blake Griffin. Normally, Spoelstra has power forward Shawne Williams guard a dangerous big man (as we’ve seen with Roy Hibbert, Al Jefferson and Dwight Howard) to keep Chris Bosh out of foul trouble. The Clips’ DeAndre Jordan is a threat at the rim, both defensively and offensively, but is nowhere near the level of Griffin, whose outside shot has improved and his shots at the rim have decreased. Quite simply, Williams (despite his yeoman-like work) cannot contain Griffin. On the flip side, if Bosh or Williams are hitting from outside, then Jordan and Griffin won’t be a rebounding factor, giving Deng a chance to cut inside for uncontested shots.

Bottom line is that with Wade in the lineup, the Heat are a much better team and had an improved shot of knocking off a tired Clippers squad that is in the second night of a back-to-back set (winning in Orlando on Wednesday). Without Wade, Miami will need for everyone to be a strong contributor, both starters and reserves (like Napier and fellow rookie James Ennis) alike.

The game is broadcast nationally on TNT, starting at 8 p.m. from the AmericanAirlines Arena. Check back with All U Can Heat for a recap, analysis and post-game grades.