Preview: Suns Look to End Losing Skid vs Heat

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (26-20) are looking to get right tonight following two disappointing losses as the Miami Heat (24-22) play host tonight.

The Heat are coming off five consecutive losses, though the acquisition of Terry Rozier last week could sway their luck sooner rather than later.

The Suns' perceived progress as a team following a seven-game winning streak was halted this weekend after two losses which saw the squad blow fourth quarter leads against the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.

Three headlines going into the bout tonight:

Heat's Losing Streak

As previously mentioned, the Heat are going through a rough stretch as of late, coming into the night on a six-game losing streak which has lead to a slip in the Eastern Conference standings from high seed to play-in territory.

The Heat have failed to score 100 points in three of their six losses during this stretch, which included rough outings against the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, and Boston Celtics.

The newly-acquired Rozier has had a rough start to his Heat tenure, shooting 30.3% from the field and 18.2% from three.

Miami now has four 20-PPG scorers along with an array of dependable shooters and are a great defensive team - they should be able to figure things out long term.

Hopefully the Suns aren't a "get right" game for the Heat tonight.

Devin Booker on a Heater

Devin Booker has been playing some of the best basketball of anyone in the month of January, even going as far as overtaking Kevin Durant as the leading scorer on the team and rising up to the number five spot in the entire league in terms of scoring.

Devin Booker’s last 3 games:

50.7 PPG (!!!)
5.3 RPG
3.3 APG
65/54/84% (!!!)

How much for Book tonight? pic.twitter.com/vpzKibiJgK
— Booker Muse (@DevinBookerMuse) January 29, 2024

Booker is also still top 10 in the NBA in assists per game despite settling into more of a scorer-first role as of late.

According to stathead, there are 5 players averaging at least 28 PPG on 62% true-shooting this season: 4 All Star starters and Devin Booker.
— Cody Hunt (@co_dhunt) January 29, 2024

The Suns' franchise player is also approaching the 50-40-90 mark and would join Grayson Allen as the only active qualified player this season to hit the milestone during this season.

Booker is looking to ride the momentum of the last month - particularly the last three games - into tonight, although Miami clearly poses a legitimate challenge due to their reputation on the defensive end.

Player to Watch: Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is a name that will be familiar to many Suns fans, but his underwhelming regular season play relative to expectations has made him somewhat underrated yet again.

Butler is averaging 21 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4.4 APG - modest stats for a star of his stature.

There are multiple ways the star forward can win a game despite the reputation of taking regular season games less serious compared to the postseason.

The Marquette product has been near the top of the league in free throw attempts per game in nearly every season since 2014-2015. The basic truth is that hardly anyone knows how to draw contact better than Butler does.

A Suns team that can be susceptible to fouling in droves needs to be careful tonight.

Butler is also still an elite perimeter defender and will almost certainly pose a direct challenge to the Suns' potent perimeter attack, especially in Erik Spoelstra's system.

Phoenix and Miami are set to tip off shortly after 5:30 PM Arizona time and will be available to watch on NBATV for out of market fans.