The Heat also lost explosive wing Caleb Martin on Wednesday. He leads the team in scoring (21.4) and ranks second in rebounding (6.2).
Miami's Jimmy Butler missed Wednesday's game due to sinus congestion. Injuries could be a factor for both teams Friday, however. The Cavaliers will arrive in Miami on a two-game win streak, and Cleveland has prevailed in the rebound matchup in both of those contests. They were flying around, and it's unacceptable for us." "They were the aggressors in a lot of box-out matchups. "They were first to the ball a lot," Heat guard Duncan Robinson said of the Suns. Miami was outrebounded 55-38, including 14-6 on the offensive glass, and saw its three-game winning streak end in Wednesday's 111-90 loss to the visiting Phoenix Suns. The Heat will want to hit the boards hard at home Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Miami Heat are looking to rebound - literally and figuratively. By the end of the quarter, the Suns had stretched their lead to 91-74. In the third quarter, Phoenix shot 51.9 percent while holding Miami to 29.2 percent marksmanship. Phoenix held its two-point lead in the second quarter, going to halftime with a 57-55 advantage. Robinson led all scorers in the quarter with 12 points, thanks to 4-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers. In Wednesday's first quarter, Miami led by 11 points before Phoenix went on a 15-2 run to close the period on top, 29-27. The Suns improved to 40-0 when leading after three quarters. The Heat, who are 23-8 at home, lost Caleb Martin to a left-knee injury. Kyle Lowry added five points and a game-high 10 assists. Miami, which has won 12 of its past 15 contests, was led by Duncan Robinson (22 points), Tyler Herro (17 points) and Bam Adebayo (17 points). The Heat had a new injury of sorts as Jimmy Butler was out due to a sinus congestion. The Suns continue to be without point guard Chris Paul (fractured right thumb). However, both teams were missing star players. The game was a matchup between the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference (Miami) and the squad that leads the Western Conference (Phoenix). JaVale McGee added 11 points and a season-high 15 rebounds off the bench.Īs a team, the Suns outrebounded Miami 55-38, including 14-6 on offense.
Devin Booker returned from a four-game COVID-protocol absence and had a near triple-double, helping the Phoenix Suns clinch the NBA's first playoff spot with a 111-90 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.īooker finished with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Phoenix also got 21 points from Mikal Bridges and 19 points and 10 rebounds from Deandre Ayton.