The Phoenix Suns have surprisingly become the hottest team in the Orlando bubble thus far, and they will put their four-game winning streak on the line this Saturday against the Miami Heat, who are also secured of a playoff spot. Check out our preview of this game below.
How about them Suns? Devin Booker and company are still undefeated inside the Orlando bubble, going 4-0 straight up since the resumption of the season. Their latest victims were the Indiana Pacers in a 114-99 win on Thursday. While Devin Booker didn’t exactly light it up on offense as he usually had in the previous games, the Suns still got 20 points from him on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. But the one who shone the brightest for the Suns in that game was Deandre Ayton, who had a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. He also had four blocks and two steals in a complete two-way brilliance. Ayton did not play when the Suns lost to Miami at home last November, 124-106, so his presence in this upcoming game will be a huge lift for Phoenix. Ayton should help Phoenix put up a much better defensive effort this time around than when Miami shot 54.9 percent and hit 15 threes in that Suns loss.
The Suns are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games.
Without Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic, the Heat stumbled into a 130-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. It was a tale of two halves for the Heat, as they won the first half before getting massively outscored in the second half by the Bucks, 74-43. Butler missed his second game in a row because of sore right foot, while Dragic sat out with a right ankle sprain. If it was a playoff game, both players would have likely played, but it seems that the Heat are prioritizing health of their key players over wins at this point. Still, it’s possible for Butler and Dragic will be active for the Suns game. If not, expect Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Kelly Olynyk to carry more load on the offense. Robinson led the Heat in the Bucks game with 21 points and five 3-pointers, while Herro The over is 3-1-1 in the Heat’s last five games.
