5 Things To Know:
1. The Knicks built a 21-point lead in Sunday's game against Sacramento before allowing the Kings to narrow the gap down the stretch. The home team was resilient in the fourth period by staving off a strong push from Sacramento and capturing its eighth win in 11 outings. New York improved its overall mark to 11-9 and an impressive 9-3 reocrd at Madison Square Garden. With the victory, the Knicks launched to the fifth spot in the latest Eastern Conference standings with an opportunity to gain even more ground against Miami in Cleveland in back-to-back games before a long west coast road trip.
2. Joakim Noah returned to the lineup on Sunday night while Courtney Lee was sidelined with an ankle injury. Lee is probable and will likely play in the Tuesday night contest in Miami. Maurice Ndour has an ankle injury and is listed as questionable for tonight's game.
3. After years of superstars gracing the floor in Miami, a significant change has occurred and the face of the franchise is now in Chicago. Dwyane Wade packed his bags for his hometown in a surprising move that completely altered the future for Pat Riley's squad. Another member of the championship team, Chris Bosh is unfortunately sidelined due to a failed physical this offseason. Joe Johnson and Luol Deng also bounced in the summer for new teams, which forced Miami to pivot by resigning Hassan Whiteside to and Tyler Johnson to contracts. Last year, the Heat found the right chemistry in a 48-win season and third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. 4. According to Heat.com, James Johnson (rotator cuff), Dion Waiters (groin), and Justise Winslow (wrist) are out for Tuesday's game. Additionally, Josh Richardson (ankle) and Luke Babbitt (hip flexor) were limited in Monday's practice and listed as questionable.
5. The Heat was dropped on Saturday night 99-92 despite 28 points and 16 boards from Hassan Whiteside. In the third quarter, Portland outscored Miami 34-20, which created enough separation to capture the win. Whiteside is putting up the numbers to justify the contract as he leads the Heat in three different statistical categories (17.8 PPG, 14.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG). Goran Dragic is the primary ball handler for Miami used in a variety of drags and pick-and-roll sets with Whiteside. He's averaging 17.1 points and 6.7 assists per game. The Heat fell to 7-13 overall on the season and just 5-6 on the road. With that said, Miami faces a tough schedule this upcoming week that begins at home against the surging Knicks before three straight contests on the road against Atlanta, Cleveland, and Chicago.
