MIAMI vs NEW YORK
When: 3/29/2021 9:30 PM
Where: Madison Square Garden

TV: 9:30 PM
LINE: -200
PREDICTION: Miami Heat, New York Knicks

Oddsmakers currently have Miami listed as 4.5 point favorites versus the New York while the game’s total is sitting at 204.5.

The task of trying to replace Mitchell Robinson begins in earnest Monday night for the New York Knicks — even if his eventual successor might not yet be on the roster by the opening tip.

The Miami Heat, on the other hand, is almost certain to have a high-profile reinforcement in uniform.

A pair of teams beginning playoff pushes in different fashions are scheduled to meet Monday night, when the Knicks will attempt to overcome their latest key injury and extend their winning streak when they host the Heat in a battle of longtime rivals.

Mitchell Robinson’s injury overshadowed the Knicks’ third straight win Saturday when the third-year center suffered a broken right foot in the first quarter of a 102-96 victory over the host Milwaukee Bucks. The visiting Heat suffered a sixth straight loss Friday when Miami fell to the Charlotte Hornets, 110-105.

Robinson was playing in just his fourth game since returning from a 15-game absence due to a broken right hand. The 7-footer was injured after he crashed to the floor while battling for a rebound with the Bucks’ Brook Lopez. Robinson immediately grabbed his foot in pain and needed help getting off the floor.

“It sucks, man,” said Knicks guard Derrick Rose, who returned Saturday after missing the previous 10 games while battling the coronavirus. “But for someone like him, seeing how hard he worked to get back, for this to happen, it just sucks.”

The injury to Robinson will likely have short- and long-term impacts upon the Knicks’ already short-handed rotation. With All-Star power forward Julius Randle (thigh) out Saturday, Robinson was slated for a bigger role before he went down. Nerlens Noel replaced Robinson and pulled down 11 rebounds while playing 31:28, the most he’s played off the bench this season.

Even before Robinson got hurt, the Knicks were linked to four-time NBA rebounding champion Andre Drummond, who was bought out Friday by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But Drummond is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Other potential veteran options for New York include the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Al Horford.

Whoever replaces Robinson will be tasked with trying to help the Knicks complete a surprising surge into the playoffs. New York (24-22), which hasn’t made the postseason since the spring of 2013, has already won three more games than it did last season and will enter Monday as one of the Eastern Conference’s top six seeds.

The Heat will likely have some help Monday as Miami — which won 11 of 12 before beginning its current skid — tries to snap the losing streak that has left it on the outside looking in on a guaranteed playoff spot.

Guard Victor Oladipo, who was acquired from the Houston Rockets Thursday, is expected to step into the lineup for the Heat, who will enter Monday in eighth place in the East. The seventh- through 10th-place teams in each conference will participate in a play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff berths.

But with Oladipo joining a core that includes All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat feel well-positioned to make another playoff run. Miami reached the NBA Finals as the fifth seed in the East last summer.

“I’d watch out for us,” Heat president Pat Riley said Thursday night.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat
When: 7:30 PM  ET, Thursday, January 19, 2017
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Sun (Miami)
PREDICTION: Heat 96, Mavericks 93

Oddsmakers opened the Heat as -1.5-point favorites versus the Mavericks, while the game’s total opened at 189.5.

MIAMI — The Miami Heat are coming off their most impressive victory of the season, and the Dallas Mavericks are on their biggest win streak.

But make no mistake: When the Mavericks (14-27) visit the Heat (12-30) on Thursday night, the matchup is every bit as sad as their win-loss records indicate.

The two franchises have history, splitting two battles in the NBA Finals, with Miami winning in 2006 and Dallas prevailing in 2011.

But here’s the thing: The Mavericks haven’t won a single playoff series since defeating the Heat in ’11, and Miami’s franchise has hit rock bottom with the departure of their famed Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

So yes, the Mavericks are riding a three-game win streak, and Miami beat a very good Houston Rockets team on Tuesday, but that doesn’t change the reality of where they are in the standings.

“I know,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told The Dallas Morning News this week. “Half of our fans want us to go for a high draft pick (and tank the season), and half of our fans want us to go for the playoffs.”

Cuban said he feels conflicted, too.

“I wish I had a definitive answer for everybody,” he said. “I go back and forth every game. Some days, it’s like, “OK, maybe we can make run for the sixth or seventh seed. That gets us to the playoffs, but I don’t know if it gets us to where we need to be.”

Heat president Pat Riley surely sees the big picture just as much as Cuban.

The Heat has four players competing at a good level right now — point guard Goran Dragic, center Hassan Whiteside and reserves Tyler Johnson and James Johnson (no relation).

Dragic was pleased with Tuesday’s win over the Rockets, who have the No. 2 scoring offense in the NBA. But Dragic also emphasized how much the Heat needs to improve in the second half.

“We need to be calm and solid,” Dragic said. “We need to execute our plays.”

Realistically, though, the Heat are fairly hopeless for this season. They are just 2-10 in their past 12 games and 6-13 this season at home.

The Mavericks are just 6-16 on the road, making this a tossup-type matchup.

However, it is interesting to note that this Mavericks’ three-game win streak has coincided with the right hamstring injury to starting center Andrew Bogut. The last game he played, on Jan. 9, was the last game Dallas lost.

Since then, Dallas has won at the Phoenix Suns, defeated the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves and won at the Chicago Bulls.

The big difference with the Mavs this season is that 38-year-old future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is finally slowing down. He led the team in scoring last season at 18.3 points, just like he has almost ever since arriving in Dallas.

This season, though, he is fourth on the team in scoring (13.3).

Forward Harrison Barnes, a newcomer to Dallas this season, leads the team in scoring (20.6). Guard Wesley Matthews (15.1 points) has earned praise for his all-around play, and “the other Curry”, Seth, is averaging 10.3 points.

Deron Williams is the other starter, and while he is no longer as good as he once was, he is averaging 13.9 points and a team-high 7.0 assists.

It’s not a great roster, but — as it is with the Heat — this is the current state of the franchise.

“The reality,” Cuban said, “is that we’re going to play every game to win. That is who we are, and any other way … I just wouldn’t do that to our guys.”

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Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Friday, January 13, 2017
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PREDICTION: Bucks 109, Heat 98

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be back in the Milwaukee Bucks’ starting lineup Friday when they host the Miami Heat at the Bradley Center.

Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s leader in every major offensive statistical category, sat out the Bucks’ game Sunday against the Wizards and played just nine minutes Wednesday against the Spurs because of an illness.

But Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said that Antetokounmpo was back to full strength and went through practice Thursday with no issues.

With Antetokounmpo out, the Bucks got a full dose of reserve Michael Beasley’s best. The nine-year veteran scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the loss to Washington, then followed that up with a season-high 28 against San Antonio, to go along with five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a pair of steals.

And more important for the Bucks, he was a stabilizing presence on the floor down the stretch, as Milwaukee held on for a 109-107 victory.

“It says that I’ve been here before,” Beasley said. “I work on those shots every day, before and after practice. I come here (to the Cousins Center) at night.”

“They’ve got to understand their pace and can’t be in a rush,” Kidd said. “And it’s not just from Beasley but from other closers in this league.

“It’s understanding pace and rhythm is a big thing, and not rushing. Those are the things young players struggle with early.”

Milwaukee struggled in its last meeting with the Heat, scoring just 73 points on 32 percent shooting back on November 18. The Bucks managed just 25 second-half points and only 11 in the final quarter.

Dion Waiters scored 23 points in that game to lead Miami while Hassan Whiteside added 12 points with 17 rebounds.

The game wraps up a six-game road trip for Miami, which has dropped three in a row and nine of its last 10.

The Heat led Golden State at halftime Wednesday and got within three in the final minutes before falling 107-95 to the defending Western Conference champions.

“We’re not looking for moral victories,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re looking to get better and improve every single day. The tough thing on this road trip is you have to step back and really evaluate, which I’m not able to do right now. I’m still emotional about the game. But you can see our basketball team is getting better.”

The Heat had a rough arrival in Milwaukee. Freezing rain fell on the area Wednesday night, leaving the runway at Mitchell International Airport slick. Miami’s charter flight skidded while taxiing to the terminal, requiring an emergency response and a tow for the plane.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

“Could have been worse. Thank God it wasn’t,” Miami guard Wayne Ellington Tweeted after the incident.

The Bucks have won six of their last eight meetings with the Heat, including three of the last four meetings at the Bradley Center.

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Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, January 6, 2017
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
PREDICTION: Lakers 105, Heat 101

LOS ANGELES — The misfortunes of the youthful Los Angeles Lakers continued Thursday night with breakdowns in the second half of a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Lakers will try to fix some of their mistakes Friday night when they face the Miami Heat at Staples Center.

The Lakers (13-26) were outscored 13-1 late in the game in a 115-109 loss to the Trail Blazers, managing just the one point in their final eight possessions.

Los Angeles built a double-digit lead in the first half but blew it in the second half to fall for the 16th time in its last 19 games.

“We gave ourselves a chance to win, and we had a lead,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “We broke down on defense a couple of times down the stretch. And we started searching out some 3s when we need to just continue to push the ball, set hard screens and dive instead of go for a home-run play.”

The Lakers were without forward Luol Deng (biceps). However, rookie Brandon Ingram replaced him and delivered a decent effort with 11 points and four rebounds in 37 minutes. Point guard D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points and guard Jordan Clarkson added 21 to lead the Lakers.

Like the Lakers, the Heat have struggled this season. However, they snapped a six-game losing streak with a 107-102 victory in their last outing at Sacramento against the Kings on Wednesday.

A slew of injuries have plagued the Heat (11-26). They lost forward Justise Winslow, who underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Thursday. Winslow, the club’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft, averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18 games. Winslow missed 16 games earlier this season with a sore left wrist.

“I really feel for him because I know how much time he put in this summer,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. “He’s put in as much time as anybody. I know how much it means for him to be here (with his team) and be able to make an impact.”

Center Hassan Whiteside, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder at 17.3 points and 14.3 boards per game, has been sidelined the past three games with a bruised retina in his right eye. However, Whiteside is expected to return against the Lakers.

And Heat guard Dion Waiters, who has been out for the last 19 games with a groin injury, could be back in the lineup.

In addition, guard Goran Dragic has been ailing with back problems. Dragic, though, played well against the Kings and scored 19 points.

Miami has gotten a boost from guard Tyler Johnson, who was the NBA’s second-leading scorer off the bench to the Lakers guard Lou Williams at 13.8 points per game. Johnson delivered 23 points and a crucial block to help preserve the Heat’s victory over the Kings.

In his last five games, Johnson is averaging 17.2 points, four rebounds and four assists and shooting 49.2 percent.

The Heat beat the Lakers 115-107 in their last meeting on Dec. 22 in Miami. They have captured eight of the last nine against the Lakers.

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Bosh has been sidelined since last February because of complications related to blood clots. He’s still technically a member of the Miami Heat, though has not been around the team in any official capacity since he failed a physical in September and was not permitted to resume on-court activities.

Bosh, speaking at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas, was asked how he’s spent time away from the court.

”For me, I kind of just follow my passions and follow what I love to do and use my free time to kind of answer those questions and go through my bad moods and maybe a little light case of depression,” Bosh said. ”Really, to search for what I’m looking for. And I’ve come to some interesting conclusions. It’s all about following my heart and what made me happy.”

Bosh did not specifically mention whether he will or will not try to play again, nor did he mention his health status. It’s expected that the Heat will waive him sometime after February, after the 1-year anniversary of his last game appearance passes. The $76 million that Bosh is owed for this and the next two seasons remains guaranteed, but he would no longer be taking up a massive amount of Miami’s salary-cap space.

Bosh was speaking on a panel alongside St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler and Golden State Warriors guard Draymond Green. The panel, titled ”Life Off The Court,” was moderated by Maverick Carter, the CEO of SpringHill Entertainment and the business partner of Bosh’s former Miami teammate LeBron James.

Bosh said he went to the CES event to meet with people and leverage some business relationships.

”I don’t know what’s going to come out of it,” Bosh said. ”But we’re here.”

Bosh had his 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons cut short at the All-Star break after the discovery of blood clots. He missed the last 30 games of the 2014-15 season because of the first known occurrence of the clot issue, and the last 43 games – including playoffs – last season after a second separate situation.

Bosh said ”there’s still a lot of things” that he has to figure out.

”I’m still learning more about myself and my situation, and really off the court how to function there because I’m kind of getting the taste of retirement now,” Bosh said. ”Just trying to navigate those waters because it gets a little complicated sometimes. … Hoping one day that the stars align and I figure some things out and things kind of just go my way and I’ll be able to do what I want to do. I don’t know what that is yet.”

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The Heat believe Winslow will miss the remainder of the season.

Team physician Harlan Selesnick performed the surgery, which took 80 minutes. Winslow got hurt in the final moments of a game at Boston last week, and on the flight home was telling coaches that he was fine – even rotating his shoulder in an effort to prove his point.

But further tests this week diagnosed the tear, and a second exam on Wednesday confirmed the need for surgery.

”To say I am disappointed is an understatement,” Winslow said. ”It hurts that I can’t be there for my teammates, the coaching staff and our fans. After a lot of thought, this surgery is what is best for my career.”

It has been a difficult season for Winslow, who missed 16 games while recovering from a sprained left wrist and now likely will miss the final 48 with the injury to his non-shooting shoulder.

He’s averaged 10.9 points on 35 percent shooting this season.

”I will be back,” Winslow said. ”In the meantime, I will dedicate myself to the rehab process and will find a way to support my teammates and make my team better.”

The Heat already have used 15 starting lineups this season – tied for second-most in the NBA entering Thursday’s games – and have seen what was their anticipated frontcourt get decimated by health issues.

Chris Bosh didn’t pass his physical in September because of ongoing complications related to blood clots, effectively ending his Heat career even though he remains on the roster. Josh McRoberts is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot, and now Winslow’s season is almost certainly over.

So far, the Heat have had players miss 144 games – and counting – because of illness and injury. That number will only rise, though center Hassan Whiteside (eye contusion) is expected to rejoin the team in Los Angeles later this week and possibly play Sunday when Miami visits the Clippers.

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Miami Heat vs. Sacramento Kings
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), CSN California (Sacramento)
PREDICTION: Kings 107, Heat 101

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a decade of missing out, the Sacramento Kings don’t mind trotting out the “P” word in January. The next two weeks should give them a decent indication whether they are any closer to playing basketball in late April or whether the playoffs remain a mirage for the 11th straight season.

The Kings (15-19) play the first of seven straight contests at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday when they host the Miami Heat.

Sacramento’s longest homestand of the season will last 14 days, four of them against teams above .500 and two of them against defending conference champions.

But Sacramento (15-19) also plays three teams struggling near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, one of them the Heat. Miami (10-26) lost 99-90 at the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday and has dropped six in a row for the second time this season.

For the Kings it’s a chance to assert themselves and get a sixth win in eight games, a run that began when DeMarcus Cousins scored 55 points Dec. 20 against Portland in a 126-121 win. The Kings won three more before double-digit losses to Portland and Memphis but rebounded with a 120-113 road win over the Denver Nuggets Tuesday.

Cousins scored 31 points and Darren Collison added 26. But Sacramento won primarily by holding Denver to 20 points over the first 11:20 of the fourth quarter, returning to a pattern that carried them during their hot spell.

In their past five victories, the Kings have allowed an average of 22.0 points in the final 12 minutes. They gave up 57 fourth-quarter points in the two losses.

“This win was crucial,” Collison said. “We had to get that taste out of our mouth. We felt like the last couple of games, we got away from who we are as a team, especially down the stretch.”

Sacramento also recorded four of its past five victories without forward Rudy Gay (right hip flexor strain), who has missed nine of the past 10. Forward Arron Afflalo returned to the lineup against the Nuggets after missing three games with an elbow injury and scored 19 points in 30 minutes, but guard Ty Lawson sat out with blurred vision after taking an elbow to the head in Saturday’s loss to Memphis.

The Heat, in the middle of rebuilding process after seven playoff appearances in their past eight seasons, will play the second of six consecutive road games on the road. The jaunt is their longest of the season.

Guard Goran Dragic returned from a two-game absence caused by back pain and scored 24 points against Phoenix on Tuesday, but guard Dion Waiters’ return from a 20-game absence caused by a groin injury was pushed back at least another night.

Waters and Dragic both are questionable for Wednesday’s game, while forwards Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture), Justice Winslow (stinger) and center Hassan Whiteside (bruised right eye) remained in Miami. Whiteside and Winslow could join the team later on the trip, the Miami Herald reported.

Whiteside, the Kings’ third pick in the 2010 draft and waived after playing 19 games for them, was averaging a career-best 17.3 points and 14.3 rebounds in 34 minutes per game before suffering a bruised right eye. He will visit a doctor Wednesday.

With the ranks thin, Miami lost to the Suns for the first time in since Nov. 3, 2009, ending a 12-game run against them. The Heat have lost nine of 10 overall and 14 of 17.

“We understand that we have that Miami Heat jersey on, so every time we put it on, we know we’re are getting an opportunity,” center Willie Reed said. “So you want to go out there and show this organization that you will do whatever it takes to win. Sometimes it doesn’t work out in this league, but you have to keep continuously building those habits.”

Miami has won five straight from Sacramento and 15 of the last 16 meetings. Sacramento’s lone win in that span occurred Dec. 27, 2013 at home when Cousins scored 27 points in a 108-103 overtime win.

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Winslow was hurt in the final minute of Miami’s loss in Boston on Friday when he got tangled up with Celtics center Al Horford. The injury was originally diagnosed as a stinger, and even Winslow said earlier this week that he wasn’t worried.

Winslow immediately began grabbing at the shoulder after he and Horford made contact while anticipating a rebound. Winslow was called for a foul on the play.

Further tests after the team returned to Miami revealed the tear, which the Heat announced Wednesday before they played the Sacramento Kings.

”I really feel for him because I know how much time he put in this summer,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”He’s put in as much time as anybody.”

Winslow missed 16 games earlier this season with a sore left wrist. The second-year forward out of Duke is averaging 10.9 points on 35 percent shooting this season.

The Heat have been dealing with injuries and illness all season, starting when All-Star forward Chris Bosh (complications related to blood clots) was not cleared for participation after failing a physical before training camp.

Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters – a trio of the team’s best shooters – have all missed at least 10 games with an array of leg injuries. Forward Josh McRoberts is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot and center Hassan Whiteside – the league’s leading rebounder – is currently out with an eye injury, though is expected to rejoin the team in Los Angeles later this week.

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Washington Wizards vs. Miami Heat
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN Sun (Miami)
PREDICTION: Wizards 116, Heat 103

Oddsmakers currently have the Wizards listed as 1½-point favorites versus the Heat, while the game’s total is sitting at 207.

MIAMI — The Washington Wizards are just 2-7 on the road. The Miami Heat are 2-8 at home.

Anyone have a coin to flip?

Yes, the Monday night game at AmericanAirlines Arena figures to be anybody’s contest. However, between the two teams currently out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, it is easy to view the Heat as the struggling squad and the Wizards as the club trending upward.

The Heat (7-17) are riding a five-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, the Wizards (9-13) won their past two games and are 6-4 over their past 10.

Washington, coming off a 110-105 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, is benefitting from outstanding production by point guard John Wall, who has 12 double-doubles this season. He produced 24 points and 11 assists against the Bucks.

Then again, Wall — the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft — is a three-time All-Star in his prime at age 26. His production is expected.

What is truly propelling the Wizards in their mini-streak is a “small-ball” lineup that is closing out games of late.

Washington coach Scott Brooks has been sitting 6-foot-10, 245-pound power forward Markieff Morris and replacing him with 6-7, 205-pound small forward Kelly Oubre, and the plan is working.

Oubre is seeing late-game minutes with the rest of the starters: Wall; 6-5, 205-pound shooting guard Bradley Beal; 6-8, 200-pound forward Otto Porter; and 6-11, 240-pound center Marcin Gortat.

“It’s a versatile lineup,” Oubre told the Washington Post. “It’s a quick lineup. It’s a momentum-changer. I like that lineup a lot.”

Brooks obviously likes it, too, as that five-man grouping had the second-best defensive rating in the league over the past 10 games (minimum 20 minutes together).

It is a small sample size, given how little those guys were out there together. Still, it is something the Wizards can build on.

“It’s something I’ve been considering,” Brooks told the Post. “I’m trying to manipulate the game so we can get to that lineup.”

Part of what makes the lineup defensively is that Porter and Oubre have long arms, and that helps them get their hands in the passing lanes. Oubre’s wingspan is 7-2. Porter’s wingspan is 7-1.

The lineup is not strong on the backboards, an area Miami may be able to exploit with center Hassan Whiteside. But the Wizards — especially with Oubre, Porter, Beal and Wall — are able to switch easily, defusing a pick-and-roll-based offense.

“Oubre has made great strides in being able to defend multiple lineups,” Brooks said. “We have to find a lineup that can defend and provide offense.”

In other story lines:

–Udonis Haslem, a seldom-used Heat forward, is back with the team after missing Miami’s 105-100 loss at Chicago on Saturday with an excused absence.

Haslem, who has played his entire 13th-year NBA career with the Heat, was allowed to travel to Orlando, Fla., so he could see his son play in a state football final. Kedonis Haslem is a 6-3, 290-pound lineman who helped lead Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas to the Class 7A championship.

Kedonis Haslem, a three-star recruit, has offers from Michigan and South Carolina among Power Five schools.

The idea to let Udonis Haslem see his son play came with the Heat’s blessing.

“He’s missed all of his son’s (prior) playoff games, senior year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Haslem. “UD (Haslem) has been with us for 13 years. You miss so many so many moments. We felt like this would be a moment that he wasn’t going to miss and regret years from now.”

–Whiteside is expected to play despite some nagging knee and hip injuries.

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Portland Trail Blazers vs. Miami Heat
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2016
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), CSN Northwest (Portland)
PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 113, Heat 107

PORTLAND, Ore. — Erik Spoelstra knows what it’s like to win NBA championships (twice) and what it’s like to miss the playoffs.

While the Miami Heat aren’t in position to soon claim another NBA title, Spoelstra would like to think they’re heading in the right direction.

“It’s been an up-and-down season, but I really like this group we have,” said the ninth-year head coach, whose Heat are 7-12 but won two in a row heading into Saturday night’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. “We have a lot of talented, exciting young players (with whom) we’re building and developing our Heat culture.

“We knew what we were getting into at the start the season (with the loss of Dwyane Wade). The record isn’t what we want it to be, but that hasn’t tempered the optimism or excitement about the group moving forward.”

Miami — which is 5-4 in its last nine games after a 2-8 start — ranks on the low end in the NBA in most offensive categories, including scoring (28th), field-goal percentage (27th), 3-point percentage (25th) and free-throw percentage (30th). The Heat are improving, though, averaging 107 points the past four games, including a 111-110 win at Utah on Thursday night.

“It has taken a little bit of time with the offense,” Spoelstra told the Portland Tribune. “The guys are getting more comfortable, more confident.”

Center Hassan Whiteside ranks among the top 10 in the league in rebounds (first, 15.1), blocked shots (third, 2.56) and field-goal percentage (.559, ninth) while averaging a team-high 17.7 points.

“I’ve really enjoyed watching Hassan embrace the responsibility of being a great player,” Spoelstra said. “What he’s learning now is the responsibility on all levels to impact winning. That’s with a commitment every single day to attention to detail, work ethic and mental approach that the entire locker room sees.”

The Trail Blazers’ offense was in high gear in a 131-109 victory over Indiana Wednesday night. But it was improved effort at the defensive end the players wanted to talk about.

“When we play well defensively — when we fly around, have active hands, get deflections — we can get out and run,” said point guard Damian Lillard, who ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring with a 28.2-point average. “It shows the kind of shots we can get and the kind of game we can play.”

Portland (10-10) reached a season high in points going up against an Indiana team that came in leading the league in steals (9.6) and opponents’ turnovers (16.9), was second in opponents’ 3-point percentage (.328) and third in blocked shots (6.2). Against the Blazers, the Pacers had three steals, forced seven turnovers, allowed the Blazers to shoot .375 from 3-point range and blocked four shots. The seven giveaways were a season low for Portland.

“When you have a game with seven turnovers against a team like that, it shows you can in with the right mentality,” Lillard told the Portland Tribune.

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