Seeking to pick up consecutive victories for the first time in three weeks, the Miami Heat go head to head with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins are up against their former employers for the first time since their respective trades just before deadline day back in February and an exciting contest is on the cards in Florida.
Match preview
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The Miami Heat shot 57% from the field as a team on Saturday night as they picked up a 122-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets when the two sides faced off at the Kesaya Center.
Coming off a 30-point display against the Houston Rockets the previous day, Wiggins turned in a standout individual display as he tallied a game-high 42 points on an efficient 76% FG to lead the Heat to a dominant victory.
Wiggins finished among four of Miami's five starters to knock down double-digit points, alongside Kel'el Ware (12), Davion Mitchell and guard Tyler Herro, who knocked down 29 points to go with six rebounds and three assists.
This was a much-needed result for Erik Spoelstra's side, who had lost each of their previous 10 games, including seven back-to-back home defeats since a 106-90 victory over the Washington Wizards on March 4.
The Miami Heat now hold a 30-41 record from their 71 regular-season games to sit 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, six wins above 11th-placed Toronto Raptors just beneath the final Play-In spot.
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Over in the West, the Golden State Warriors suffered a sixth straight defeat at the State Farm Arena since December 2018 as they fell 124-115 against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
In the absence of floor general Stephen Curry, Butler netted 25 points to record his third 20+ display in four games, but Trae Young finished with a 25-point 10-assist double-double to inspire the Hawks to a third consecutive victory.
Prior to that, the Golden State Warriors saw their run of seven back-to-back victories come to an end on March 18, when they lost 115-104 against the Denver Nuggets, before bouncing back with consecutive wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors.
Despite their recent slump, Steve Kerr's men are 14-3 from their last 17 matches since mid-February, a run which has put them in contention for a top-six finish in the Western Conference.
The Golden State Warriors currently hold a 41-30 record from their 71 games so far to sit sixth in the Western Conference standings, just one defeat less than seventh-placed Memphis Grizzlies outside the automatic playoff places.
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Team News
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The Miami Heat remain without the services of Dru Smith, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery over a ruptured left Achilles tendon back in December.
He is joined on the injury table by Serbian forward Nikola Jovic, who has been ruled out since sustaining a fractured metacarpal on his right hand against the Bucks in February.
Curry was a notable absentee in the defeat against the Hawks through a pelvis injury and the Golden State Warriors' offensive leader is expected to return to action on Tuesday.
Butler has proven to be a dependable right-hand man for Curry since his trade just before deadline day back in February, with the 35-year-old averaging 17.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists across his 44 games for the Warriors so far.
Miami Heat possible starting 5:
Hero, Robinson, Ware, Adebayo, Wiggins
Golden State Warriors possible starting 5:
Curry, Moody, Green, Post, Butler
We say: The Golden State Warriors to win by 3+ points.
With the Grizzlies hot on their trail in pursuit of a top-six finish, the Golden State Warriors know that they must avoid any major slip-ups as they look to return to the playoffs.
Miami Heat stuck to the plan to secure a commanding win over Charlotte last time out, but they face a sterner challenge in a more resilient and significantly superior Warriors side here.
With the return of both Wiggins and Butler to face their former teams adding added zest to Tuesday's contest, we expect a thrilling matchup at the Kaseya Center, with the Warriors narrowly edging this one out.
Joshua Ojele
