Heat Go For Third Straight Win Against NBA-Best Warriors
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OAKLAND (CBSMiami/AP) – The Miami Heat are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now but will have an extremely tough test while going for their third consecutive win on Wednesday.
When the Golden State Warriors won a franchise-best 15 straight home games in 1989-90, they did so while allowing 115.2 points per game.
They went 37-45, finished fifth in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs because they were one of the worst defensive teams the NBA has seen in the last 30 years.
This season's club has been undeniably more well-rounded. The Warriors will try to again display the balance that's made them the best team in basketball Wednesday night as they attempt to match that home mark against the Miami Heat, who could be without Dwyane Wade.
Golden State (30-5) pushed its overall win streak to seven with Tuesday's 116-105 victory in Utah. The win marked a franchise-best seventh consecutive victory by double figures and didn't take much out of the team as it enters a busy stretch.
"First game of four in five nights, and nobody played 30 minutes," coach Steve Kerr said. "We got a tough game tomorrow and then another road trip for two more, so tonight was really about being able to play everybody, and to be able to do that and have an offensive game like that ... it's a great sign."
The overall streak has featured a 3-point mark of 43.6 percent and a winning margin of 20.6 points with their vaunted starting backcourt shooting better than normal.
Stephen Curry had 27 points against the Jazz and is shooting 53.3 percent during the winning streak, while Kay Thompson has been at 52.9. Curry also had 11 assists against two turnovers, giving him 10.8 assists per game in five games in 2015 with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.40.
"Sometimes it's hard to figure out when to pull back and when to go because he figures he can always make a play, and he can, but he's found the perfect balance between attacking and pulling it out," Kerr said.
The Warriors, 12-0 against the Eastern Conference, opened the season series against the Heat with a 114-97 victory in Miami on Nov. 25. Curry scored a season-high 40 points and is averaging 35.0 on 60.0 percent in three meetings since the start of last season. Much of that damage has come from beyond the arc, where he's gone 20 of 30.
Golden State had its second-best shooting effort of the season (57.3 percent) in that November matchup, while Miami shot 38.8 percent.
The Heat (17-21) weren't a whole lot better Tuesday against the Lakers, but they escaped with a 78-75 win. It gave them consecutive victories over the Clippers and Lakers at Staples Center, where the Warriors were swept by the Los Angeles teams prior to the start of their current streak.
Wade left the game late in the first half with a mild left hamstring strain and didn't return. He missed seven games in November due to a similar injury.
"I could have played the game, but I decided to be smart this time and catch it early and not make it any worse," Wade said. "Since I caught it early, we'll take it day by day."
Miami shot 42.3 percent and was 2 of 16 from 3-point range, furthering a recent trend that has it at 11 of 51 (21.6 percent) in three games.
Chris Bosh was 4 of 17 for eight points, and Mario Chalmers sored 19 after an eight-game stretch averaging 4.4 on 25.5 percent.
The most promising performance was that of Hassan Whiteside, who had 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 21 minutes. In the last five games, the center has averaged 14.6 points on 76.7 percent shooting.
"I'm here to do whatever coach needs," Whiteside said via the team's official Twitter feed. "If he tells me to run to the airport right now I'm going."
That's exactly where he's headed - and up to Oakland to face the team that's holding opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage (42.0) in the league.
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