Whiteside, Heat Look For First Home Win Against Visiting Kings
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – It sometimes take a little while for a team full of new players to gel.
The Miami Heat will try for a third time to win their first home game of the season when they host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
After opening the campaign with a road win, the Heat have dropped consecutive contests at AmericanAirlines Arena to Charlotte and San Antonio, falling shy of 100 points in both setbacks.
Miami blew a 19-point lead in the second half against the Hornets and it had a one-point edge midway through the fourth quarter before falling 106-99 to the Spurs on Sunday.
Center Hassan Whiteside continued his strong start with 27 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Heat but cramps kept him sidelined for much of the stretch run.
"I said, 'The reason you got the cramp is that's probably as hard as you've played on both ends of the court in a regular-season game. Now that's what this basketball team is going to need, and it will need 34 to 36 minutes of that every night,'" coach Erik Spoelstra said of Whiteside.
The Kings opened a five-game road trip with a 106-95 loss at Atlanta on Monday, despite 22 points from Rudy Gay.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE KINGS (2-2): Center DeMarcus Cousins was limited to 14 points against the Hawks due in large part to foul trouble and he attempted only three foul shots after taking 46 through the first three games.
Newcomer Arron Afflalo may have snapped from an early shooting slump (7-for-22) by hitting all three of his shots, while Matt Barnes came off the bench to hit 4-of-8 3-pointers.
Ty Lawson, who averaged at least 15.2 points in each of the four seasons in which he was a full-time starter, has yet to crack double figures in four starts with the Kings.
ABOUT THE HEAT (1-2): Miami entered Monday's action last in the NBA in foul shooting (66.1 percent) and tied for 24th in attempts (20.7), and shooting guard Dion Waiters — who is 2-of-6 from the line despite a renewed commitment to taking the ball to the rim — is among those frustrated by the lack of success.
"I'm getting to the rack, just not getting the calls, and I'm having to throw it up," Waiters told the Miami Herald after posting nine points and six turnovers against the Spurs.
While Waiters struggles, reserve shooting guard Tyler Johnson has been picking up some of the slack with three straight games of at least 12 points to begin the season.
BUZZER BEATERS
- The Heat have won the last 14 meetings at home.
- Gay is averaging 22.3 points in 32.3 minutes.
- Miami G Wayne Ellington (quad contusion) has yet to play and told reporters Monday there is no timetable for his return.
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