Tonight, it’s all about tempo for the Miami Heat.
The good news is, the Miami Heat are taking on the 19-46 Phoenix Suns on Monday, March 5. The bad news is, the fourteenth Western Conference team plays a fast game of basketball.
Something that even an usually speedy Goran Dragic fell victim to, against the Los Angeles Lakers last week.
Last Thursday, in the Heat’s worst loss of the season, the Lakers came out on top, 131-113. This was mostly due to Miami’s collapse on the defensive end, which in large part was thanks to the visitors pushing the pace. With gunners Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson sidelined, Miami’s remaining personnel just couldn’t keep up.
Which is why despite Phoenix’s current record, the Heat still need to take tonight’s matchup seriously.
Miami was able to come out on top,126-115, the last time the two ball clubs faced off against one another. However, this was back on November 8, when things were a little different. For one, Dion Waiters was still in the mix, having contributed 16 points in 26 minutes, on 6-for-14 shooting from the field. Kelly Olynyk was also fully healthy, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds. And perhaps most important of all: rotational changes hadn’t yet begun.
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The assumed starting five for the year was in place (Dragic, Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson), while just Ellington, Olynyk and James Johnson came off the bench (as Tyler Johnson was inactive).
Since then, the Heat have struggled to remain consistent, both in play and lineups. Things becoming worse when they’ve had to take on the league’s top five fastest teams (the Suns sitting second on that list, with a pace of 105.0).
The key this evening will be not just getting stops, but controlling the tempo for the entirety of the game. Guys like Devin Booker, Marquese Chriss and Elfrid Payton will want to run-and-gun, so Miami will have to lock it down and force them into more ball movement instead.
The only thing working in their favor being the fatigue from Phoenix losing 113-112 to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Next: What March means for the Miami Heat and their playoff hopes
The Miami Heat host the Phoenix Suns at 7:30 PM, ET.