Slumping Miami Heat Welcome Back A Legend

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Game preview for the Miami Heat vs the Memphis Grizzlies.

Heat (12-9) vs Grizzlies (13-11)
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
When: Sunday, Dec. 13, 6:00 PM ET
Watch: FSSE, FS-SUN, NBA League Pass

The Miami Heat return home looking to snap their three game losing streak, as the Memphis Grizzlies make their only trip to South Florida. The Heat find themselves battling some internal turmoil, as players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have voiced their displeasure with not being focal points of the offense, while Hassan Whiteside and Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye on how to utilize the center against smaller lineups.

The Heat started the week on top of the Eastern Conference, but have since fallen to seventh overall, and second in the Southeast division. Miami has been having problems defending the three over this losing streak, while their offense is averaging 82 points over the last two games.

Memphis comes into Miami fifth in the Western Conference, overcoming a 3-6 start to the season.

But maybe the biggest story going into Sunday’s game is the returning of the single most important player in Heat history, as Mario Chalmers takes the court at American Airlines Arena for the first time as a visiting player. The Grizzlies are 10-5 since Chalmers graced them with his presence, while the Heat are 8-6 during that same time, as clearly they have not recovered from trading such an influential talent. The Heat are planning a video tribute for Chalmers, while it has not been confirmed whether there will be a banner ceremony and/or statue unveiling before the game; the Heat have been tight-lipped about that.

(Yes, I am joking. Maybe.)

Matchup to Watch: Zach Randolph vs. Hassan Whiteside

If there were a game tailor made for Whiteside’s skill-set, it’s this one. The Grizzlies rank 26th in FG% and 29th in 3FG%, so small ball won’t be something that will get Whiteside off the court and how he handles Randolph will go a long way in improving the Heat’s chances of winning. While Randolph’s numbers are down – he’s averaging 14.1 points, 8.9 rebounds per game – he’s still going to be a priority for the Grizzlies.

As for Whiteside, he’s been under the microscope as of late because of Spoelstra trying to conform the Heat’s lineups against the adjustments opponents have been making to go smaller and negate Whiteside’s usefulness on defense. Now that he faces a much more desirable matchup, it’s now on Whiteside to show that all his subtle social media jabs at Spoelstra aren’t baseless.

X-Factor: Luol Deng

It’s hard to imagine a former All-Star being an X-factor, but that is Deng’s place in the Heat starting lineup. If Deng can get going early from three, it should hopefully open things up against a very tough Grizzlies defense. Deng will need to step up as Wade will be dealing with Tony Allen at the other wing spot, so an aggressive approach by him on offense will be paramount for a Heat win. He’ll also be asked to check Jeff Green, who is Memphis’s only real threat on the perimeter.

Key Stats: -1

That is Justise Winslow’s plus/minus over the last fourteen games. Why fourteen? Because those are the amount of games he’s played without Chalmers. Compare that to the 10.1 he had prior to the trade and you have to wonder if Winslow took the trade the hardest.

All joking aside, Winslow has struggled as of late, whether it’s hitting the “Rookie Wall”, or teams have started to figure him out.  He’s providing no threat on offense, which isn’t helping a Heat team looking for players to step up off the bench on that side of the court. Whatever it is, the sooner Winslow starts getting out of this funk, the better it is for the Heat.