Miami Heat-Sacramento Kings Preview: Can Heat Stop Season Slide?
The Miami Heat (24-23), in one of the longest and most mystifying losing streaks of the Erik Spoelstra era, take on the Sacramento Kings (27-18) following seven straight defeats.
While Miami’s confidence level is likely about a centimeter away from rock bottom, Sacramento is riding high. Winners of four straight, the Kings find themselves poised for a deep playoff run.
Previous Matchups
With this being the first meeting of the season between the teams, a look back to last year’s series may be of interest. The Heat and Kings split, with each team winning on their home court.
The consistent theme in both matchups? Tyler Herro went off.
Herro scored 34 points in the loss in Sacramento and had a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win in Miami. The Heat would kill for Herro to find that spark again, as he has struggled mightily over the seven-game skid.
As for the Kings, the offense against the Heat last year started and ended with Kevin Huerter (yes, you read that right). The Sacramento shooting guard averaged a team-high 24.5 points over them, drilling 11 three-pointers.
Opposing Players to Watch
The Kings are powered by twin engines De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Fox is a lightning rod, averaging 27.5 points and 5.6 assists per game, and has four 40-point games. Voted the fastest player in the league by NBA GMs, Fox is a threat to go coast to coast on any given possession.
While Fox uses speed, Sabonis uses savviness. He may never beat you down the court, but the star forward is as crafty as they come. Sabonis is averaging 19.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, and his 12 triple-doubles is second most in the NBA (14, Nikola Jokic).
Key Matchup
Domantas Sabonis vs. Bam Adebayo
Sabonis is coming off what is arguably his best game of the season, while Adebayo is coming off one of his worst.
In Monday night’s win in Memphis, Sabonis scored 20 points on 10-11 shooting and tied the franchise record with 26 rebounds.
Adebayo scored only eight points during Monday night’s embarrassing loss to the Phoenix Suns, shooting 33 percent from the field.
Not ideal for the Heat.
The silver lining? Defense never slumps, and Adebayo remains one of the best defenders in the league. He will be tasked with neutralizing Sabonis while also finding his rhythm on offense.
Nick Crandell is a staff contributor at Inside the Heat.
He can be reached at nick.crandell33@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @nickcrandell
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