The Miami Heat have not looked like two-time defending champs recently. LeBron James and the rest of the roster have struggled recently and lost to one of the worst teams in the league. Now in need of bounce-back win, they face the surprise of the season, the Phoenix Suns in a matchup between one of the East's best and West's best.
Miami's Western Conference run started out well. The team was shooting 52.9 percent while getting victories over the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs. James put up 30 or more points in three of their last four games. However, that run ended against the Utah Jazz when the reigning MVP had one of his worst performances to date.
James went 4 of 13 for 13 points against the Jazz. It was his second-lowest point total since joining the Heat. As a whole, Miami missed their last four shots, shooting just 43.3 percent overall. Chris Bosh also struggled, putting up just 13 himself However, against the Phoenix Suns Bosh has averaged 32.4 points off 55.1 percent shooting in his last seven games against the Western Conference team.
The Suns have momentum coming off one of their better performances against the Golden State Warriors. The team went 11 of 21 from the 3-point line, avoiding their third-straight loss. Goran Dragic led the team with 34 points in the game and has been averaging at least 26.9 points in his last seven games while shooting 62.7 percent overall.
Miami has won five straight games against the Phoenix Suns. Desperately needing a strong win, that certainly works in the team's favor.
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