The Heat know what it takes to make the playoffs, having reached the postseason the previous three years. So gearing up for a two-week stretch to finish the common season is nothing out of the atypical.
Miami’s closing eight video games might consequence within the Heat ending as excessive as fifth within the Eastern Conference. Or the Heat might get caught within the play-in spherical.
Miami hopes to get one step nearer to clinching an essential top-six spot in a Saturday evening dwelling sport in opposition to the Brooklyn Nets, who sit half a sport behind the Heat within the convention standings coming into the 8 p.m. showdown at Miami-Dade Arena.
“It is our March Madness, our April madness,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stated. “This is why we’re in this business — to be tested, to have the competition, to play against good teams that are playing for something, as well.”
The final time Miami (40-34) confronted Brooklyn, the Nets (39-34) received 116-105 on the Barclays Center, and small ahead Mikal Bridges scored 45 for Brooklyn.
But the Heat are a special crew now than they had been once they final traveled to Brooklyn. Point guard Kyle Lowry missed that sport, however he has performed in 5 of Miami’s final six video games and seemed “fantastic” coming off the bench. That mid-February sport was additionally earlier than the Heat added ahead Kevin Love, who’s averaging 7.8 factors and 6.2 rebounds in 14 video games with the Heat.
The Heat might not be at full energy for Saturday’s sport, although. Lowry and ahead Caleb Martin are listed as questionable with left knee soreness. New addition Cody Zeller stays out with a damaged nostril, and rookie Nikola Jovic is out with again spasms. Center Orlando Robinson and ahead Jamal Cain are with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Working within the Heat’s favor is Brooklyn’s sluggish efficiency recently. The Nets are on a five-game shedding streak in a stretch of robust video games. Brooklyn misplaced to the first-place Denver Nuggets and third-place Sacramento Kings (in addition to a loss to sub-.500 Oklahoma Thunder). Most just lately, the Nets dropped back-to-back video games to the fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday and Thursday. Miami has received 4 of its previous 5 video games.
Despite the groups showing to go in reverse instructions, guard Tyler Herro stated he is aware of Brooklyn is much from out of the operating for a top-six spot that Miami covets.
“They’re obviously hungry to get that sixth spot, as well,” Herro stated. “So just being able to come out with the right mindset, right approach, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Spoelstra stated the crew’s expertise in huge video games is essential because the common season attracts to a detailed as a result of the crew has discovered the best way to win essential video games.
“You want to have the experience, for sure, because you want to have some kind of context of how important these games are, and then more importantly, what does it take to win these games,” Spoelstra stated. “But then secondly, you want to have those kind of competitors that love these moments that rise to the occasion of competition.”
After the Heat’s sport in opposition to Brooklyn, they proceed the season’s dwelling stretch with a street sport in opposition to ninth-place Toronto on Tuesday and a visit to New York to play the fifth-place Knicks on March 28. Miami beat New York on Wednesday and will clinch an important tiebreaker with one other victory over the Knicks.
“We all know what time it is,” Herro stated. “We all see it. It’s self-explanatory at this point of the year. It’s all about getting wins, no matter who we play or where we’re at in the seeding. We obviously want to be in the top six seeds, so that’s something we’ll be paying attention to.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com