Heat embracing challenge of facing Golden State’s offense

The Warriors have won 13 of their last 14 games and looked pretty good in the team’s 102-92 win at Atlanta on Monday. He scored 25 points and grabbed 23 rebounds on Saturday against the Wizards.

Spoelstra said Golden State’s prolific 3-point shooting, nightmarish mismatches with smaller lineups and rankings at or near the top of the league in offensive and defensive efficiency can be overwhelming to the point where “they have a great way of collapsing a team’s spirit”.

The Miami Heat took advantage of the Pacers’ misfires to score a 101-93 overtime win at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wade, who missed the last two games with knee soreness, is used to playing a slowed down version of basketball as of late.

In ATS trends, the Warriors are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record, while the Heat are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall and 0-5 ATS in their last five games against a team above.600. It wasn’t Monta Ellis’ night either as he had 7 points on 2 of 17 shooting.

Golden State beat the Heat 111-103 on January 11, but Miami (32-24) trailed by only three points entering the fourth quarter and by only six with 2:35 to play. “We’re going to play with a lot of energy and be positive”.

He is the fastest player in Heat history to reach that milestone.

Lost in the bad night for the Pacers was the stellar scoring performace by Paul George, who led the Pacers, and all other scorers with 31 points.

That made their second loss in overtime to the Heat this season, the first being just as frustrating.

And as they say in show business, you can’t buy this kind of publicity.

In their only other match this season, the Warriors defeated the Heat by eight points at home.

While that loss is not significant, it leaves Miami with just 10 available players and only one true point guard on the roster in starter Goran Dragic.

Reserve guard Beno Udrih left the game in first half due to a foot injury and Loul Deng appeared to join the list of unserviceable players when a suffered a dislocated finger towards the end of the third but later returned.

The increased pace has allowed Dragic to control the game from the get-go, putting the pressure on the defense and getting easy buckets in transition.

“We’ve got to pick our intensity up”, said Pacers rookie Joe Young, speaking with Fox Sports Indiana’s Jeremiah Johnson at the half.

“It’s the same story every time we’re here”, said George, who has played in Miami 18 times – and left a victor only twice.

Hassan Whiteside on Warriors: “I hope they don’t play Bogut as much”.

Two weeks ago, after the Heat were blown out at home by San Antonio before the All-Star break, Wade said his team wasn’t ready to compete with the NBA’s elite.