The Miami HEAT host the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Get your tickets now! The HEAT fell to the Clippers 100-93 in their last meeting on February 7. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM. Television coverage on FOX Sports Sun begins at 7:30 PM. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.
1: With two-straight wins at home now, what has been going well for the HEAT?
Couper Moorhead: The defense has been much closer to where Miami wants it, especially in holding the Indiana Pacers to just 10 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. A big reason for Miami's struggles on their recent stretch of four games in five nights was that the defense wasn't up to the Top 10 standards the team had set earlier in the season. Now, back at home with a healthier roster, everything feels tighter and more impactful on that end, with the Pacers often fighting the shot clock and struggling to get a good look out of their sets.
But we've also seen Erik Spoelstra catch each of the last two opponents off guard a little bit with a lineup featuring James Johnson as something of a point-center. That lineup didn't blow either team out in the minutes it was out there, but with stout defense and a creative offensive look as Johnson ran pick-and-rolls, it was able to grind out a positive in both games. Considering how close each contest was down the stretch, that small positive wound up being the difference.
Joe Beguiristain: With the team almost fully healthy for the first time all year, things have started to improve on both ends for Miami. In particular, the HEAT have ramped things up on the defensive side of the ball, tallying a 95.9 rating over their current two-game winning streak. While a lot of that has to do with James Johnson's ability to guard multiple positions, both Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson have also been very stout defensively. Take for instance Wednesday night when Richardson did a nice job of defending Paul George down the stretch.
Thanks to all three guys, Miami has continued to get a lift from its bench. In fact, the HEAT's reserves are ranked third in the league with a 99.5 defensive rating. That's huge considering the starters can come in and do damage without having to make up much ground at all.
2: How has the season started for the Los Angeles Clippers?
Couper: Considering they started out 14-2 and now sit 19-7, with the third-best record in their conference, it's fair to say the Clippers started the season off just fine. Yes, there was a three-game losing streak mixed in there while the team was in the midst of a six-game road trip but when you're a Top 5 team on both ends of the court with a returning core that has been through the postseason grinder together multiple times, there was never much cause for concern at all. It also helps that Chris Paul, with a 61.4 true-shooting percentage, is still as good as he's ever been. There's really not too much to analyze here. The Clippers are good.
Joe: The Clippers are sitting firmly in the Western Conference playoff picture, which is right about where everyone thought they'd be. While the team had a little rough patch in late November, it recovered well and has won five of its last seven games since.
To no one's surprise, Chris Paul has continued to be one of the best passers in the league, as he owns a 4.15 assist-to-turnover ratio. Paul makes life much easier for his teammates and is the reason why Los Angeles is ranked in the top five in offensive efficiency. That said, he also has a hand in the Clippers being an elite defensive team too. The point guard is averaging 2.4 steals per game and owns one of the best defensive ratings on the team (99.1).
In short, both Paul and Blake Griffin remain the leaders on a veteran squad that is poised for a deep playoff run.
3: Which matchups are you focusing on Friday night?
Couper: The two that jump to mind are Hassan Whiteside vs. DeAndre Jordan, as two powerful centers prepare to bang under the glass all game, and the different styles of Paul and Goran Dragic, but I'm really interested to see Blake Griffin go up against James Johnson, who has been one of Miami's most consistent defensive players. If Spoelstra goes with Johnson at center for a long stretch again, Doc Rivers could have a choice to make as to whether he wants to play Griffin at center or stick with his larger lineup with Jordan. Unlike most other natural lineup matches for that Johnson lineup, Griffin can do many of the same things handling the ball himself, so we could be in for fun times with super-small ball.
Joe: The obvious one is the center matchup between Hassan Whiteside and DeAndre Jordan. While Whiteside is more polished offensively, both he and Jordan have pretty similar games in that they are dangerous when rolling to the basket. On the flip side of the ball, the two are some of the best in the league at patrolling the middle and altering shots at the rim. Since Whiteside and Jordan play in different conferences, we don't often get to see the two bigs go at it. As such, we should be in for a fun one on Friday night.
Otherwise, I'm interested to see how the HEAT hold up against one of the best shooters in the league in JJ Redick. Miami will likely start with Rodney McGruder on him and then go from there. Regardless of who defends the former Duke Blue Devil, they'll have to give him no air space, especially above the break where the sharpshooter takes the majority of his 3-pointers.
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