National Basketball Association
Preview
Phoenix at Miami
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 7, 2024
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida

The Phoenix Suns are 8-2 this season when Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are all available, but are 1-7 when Durant is out.

On Saturday night, when the Suns visit the Miami Heat, Durant won't play due to an injured left ankle.

That puts more pressure on Booker, who is averaging 25.1 points and 6.3 assists.

The Suns are 6-1 when Booker dishes eight or more assists, and he likes to play the entire first quarter so he can get in the flow.

"That allows me to score," Booker said, "and also to facilitate."

The Suns are also without starting center Jusuf Nurkic (right thigh contusion). Nurkic is averaging 8.9 points and a team-high 9.9 rebounds.

Royce O'Neale (10 points, 6 rebounds) has replaced Durant as a starter. Mason Plumlee (4.6 points, 5.9 rebounds) has filled in for Nurkic.

The Suns will especially miss Durant, who is expected to be out for a week. He leads them in scoring (25.8) and averages 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

But the Suns still have starters such as Beal (18.0 points) and Tyus Jones (11.8 points, team-high 7 assists).

Role players such as Grayson Allen (10.6 points) are hugely important on this top-heavy team.

The Suns earned a 115-112 home win over the Heat earlier this season. However, the Suns were fully healthy then.

Miami's Tyler Herro had 28 points and six assists in that game, and he will surely be at the top of the Suns' scouting report.

For the season, Herro leads Miami in scoring (24.1 points) and averages 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting a career-high 42 percent on 3-pointers.

Versatile Heat center Bam Adebayo's scoring is down nearly four points from last season, to 15.6, but he leads the team in rebounds (9.9) and assists (5).

Miami's third star is Jimmy Butler, who has missed five games due to injuries already this season. Meanwhile, Herro and Adebayo have played every game.

Butler is averaging 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists over 15 games.

There has been a lot of speculation regarding possible slippage in the 35-year-old Butler's game. He doesn't take many 3-pointers and makes them at a pedestrian rate (36.4 percent).

However, Butler draws fouls, leads the team in free-throw attempts (7.6 per game) and his offensive rating (points produced per 100 possessions) is the best of any Heat player at 136.

For context, Adebayo is second on the team at four free throws per game. And, for perspective, Herro's offensive rating is 117 and Adebayo's is 111.

Like the Suns, role players are big for the Heat, and that includes Terry Rozier, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring (12.7), and shooter Duncan Robinson (10.2 points, 36 percent on 3-pointers).

Kevin Love, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Haywood Highsmith provide plenty of depth for Miami.

All nine of those players have started at least one game this season.

Jovic, who has eight starts, has found himself out of Miami's rotation, getting zero playing time over the past six games.

"I know I'm a good player -- I don't think it's that," Jovic told The Miami Herald. "It's the style of play and the things (coach Erik Spoelstra) wants from certain lineups."

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Day Night Div Conf
Phoenix 12-9 L1 8-4 4-5 0-1 12-8 5-3 10-6
Miami 10-10 W1 5-4 5-6 0-1 10-9 3-1 7-7
Last Meeting
Phoenix Miami
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
11/6/24 MIA 112 PHO 115 115 46 50.0 112 43 43.5
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Phoenix K. Durant 32 56.5 2
Miami T. Herro 28 60.0 5
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Phoenix J. Nurkic 18 4 14
Miami B. Adebayo 12 7 5
Assists Player  
Phoenix D. Booker 9
Miami B. Adebayo 6
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Phoenix D. Booker 571 43.1 140
Miami T. Herro 527 47.0 70
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Phoenix J. Nurkic 166 30 136
Miami B. Adebayo 217 53 164
Assists Player  
Phoenix T. Jones 168
Miami T. Herro 109
Quickchart Matchup
Phoenix Phoenix Off vs  Miami Miami Defense
Phoenix Off vs Miami - Points For 113.2 Points For
Phoenix Off vs Miami - Points Against 109.0 Points Against
Phoenix - FG% 46.9 FG%
Miami - FG% 46.2 FG%
Phoenix - Reb 43.6 Reb
Miami - Reb 46.1 Reb
Miami Miami Off vs  Phoenix Phoenix Defense
Miami Off vs Phoenix - Points For 111.3 Points For
Miami Off vs Phoenix - Points Against 113.5 Points Against
Miami - FG% 44.7 FG%
Phoenix - FG% 46.5 FG%
Miami - Reb 43.5 Reb
Phoenix - Reb 44.1 Reb