Heat-Nets Preview

The banged-up Miami Heat haven't been lighting up the scoreboard lately but got enough points to end their longest losing streak of the season.

The Heat will try to keep heading in the right direction Tuesday night by continuing their success in visits to the Brooklyn Nets.

Miami (24-21) is averaging 82.0 points in its last five games but won 89-84 in Chicago on Monday while holding the Bulls to 39.8 percent shooting. The Heat allowed 16 points in the fourth quarter and one basket in the final 3:48 to end their string of four consecutive losses.

"We gutted it out tonight," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We played under control and that win doesn't happen without a good defensive effort. That's a good win for us."

Dwyane Wade had 28 points - two shy of matching his season high - to make up for the absences of two starters.

Miami played its seventh consecutive game without point guard Goran Dragic (strained left calf), who is also expected to sit out Tuesday. Hassan Whiteside missed his second straight game because of a strained left hip.

The Heat got Luol Deng back Monday after he missed a 101-81 loss in Toronto on Friday with an injured right eye. Miami is in the midst of a stretch in which it's playing 14 of 16 on the road and Monday's win was just its second in its last eight games away from home.

The Heat will try to earn a fifth consecutive victory in Brooklyn, a streak that includes one game from the 2014 playoffs. Miami won 104-98 at Barclays Center on Dec. 16 with Wade scoring 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting.

Wade had 24 points while making seven of 11 shots in a visit from the Nets on Dec. 28, but Miami had a seven-game win streak against Brooklyn end with a 111-105 defeat.

The Nets have lost 18 of 23, but ended a five-game losing streak with only their second victory in 15 home contests Sunday with a 116-106 win over Oklahoma City.

Brook Lopez led the way with a season-high 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting.

"We just weren't happy with the way we've played the last however-many games. There's a good amount of them," he said. "(A 108-86 home loss to Utah on Friday) was kind of the capper. I know for me personally it was just an ugly, ugly game and we wanted to come out and erase our memory of that."

Lopez has averaged 25.5 points on 55.0 percent shooting in the two games against Miami this season, his second-best showing versus any Eastern Conference opponent.

Wayne Ellington had 26 points in the latest matchup, two shy of tying his career high, and easily his best performance in a season in which he's averaged 6.3.

Wade is averaging 26.8 points and shooting 53.0 percent in his last six games against Brooklyn, including the playoff clincher in 2014. Miami would love to get Whiteside back as he has a combined 38 points on 14-of-20 shooting and 24 rebounds in this season's matchups.

Chris Bosh had 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the most recent meeting, but is averaging 11.2 while shooting 42.6 percent in his last five games in Brooklyn, including the playoffs. Bosh matched a season low with seven points in the latest visit while missing six of seven shots.