Heat Head To Philly For First Of Back-To-Back Games Vs. 76ers
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PHILADELPHIA (SportsDirect Inc.) -- The Miami Heat have won 20 of their past 23 games against Philadelphia and look to add two more victories to the total when they face the 76ers in back-to-back games, beginning Friday in Philadelphia.
Miami enters the first contest with wins in six of its last eight games as it resides in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia has dropped 10 consecutive games -- the last two without rookie center Jahlil Okafor (shin) -- and has allowed an average of 116.5 points during the skid.
"As a team, we have shown an inability at the frequency that I want to just guard our own man," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "Just guard your man. As basic as that sounds, there's a lot to be said on that."
Miami All-Star guard Dwyane Wade is averaging 24.4 points over the past five games and figures to be a hard guard for the 76ers, and made it clear the cold he's dealing with won't cause him to sit out either of the two games.
"It's the time of the year where you've got to win games you're supposed to win," Wade said after Thursday's 108-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns. "You're not going to play great every night, but you've got to find ways to win."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HEAT (35-26): Wade (27 points) and backcourt mate Goran Dragic (25) scored nearly half of Miami's points against the Suns in a contest in which the Heat never trailed. "We're playing unselfish basketball," Wade told reporters. "Any given night, anybody can be more aggressive than other guys, depending on matchups, depending on the night." Dragic has picked up his scoring with All-Star forward Chris Bosh (blood clot) sidelined and is averaging 19.6 points with four 20-point outings over the past seven games.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (8-53): Okafor missed practice Thursday and Philadelphia won't have a clear picture in terms of his availability until at some point Friday. Brown said the offense is hindered without Okafor - "It's not like we have a bunch of go-to, what the NBA would call scorers, bucket-makers, shot-makers," Brown told reporters - and the Duke product made it clear he would like to play. "The games are really long when you're not out there," Okafor said. "But the medical staff is telling me not to play. If you know anything about the Sixers, and the medical staff, they're super cautious and super careful about us playing with any injuries or any types of pain."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wade scored 27 points as the Heat delivered a 96-91 home victory over the 76ers on Nov. 21.
2. Miami C Hassan Whiteside blocked five shots against Phoenix to raise his season total to 204 - joining Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning as the only players in franchise history with consecutive 200-block campaigns.
3. Philadelphia PF Nerlens Noel didn't practice Thursday after falling hard a couple times during Wednesday's loss to Charlotte, but is expected to play.
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