Preview: Suns look to halt skid against Heat

Who: Phoenix Suns (20-19) vs Miami Heat (20-19)

When: 8 p.m. AZ time

Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ

Watch: ESPN

Listen: 98.7 FM

DraftKings betting lines: Suns are +1 with a -105 moneyline

Probable starters:

Suns: Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, Mikal Bridges, Torrey Craig / Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton

Heat: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, Bam Adebayo

Injury Report:

Devin Booker (groin), Cam Johnson (meniscus), and Jae Crowder (not with team) remain out while they’re re-joined by Cam Payne, who aggravated his foot during the loss at Cleveland.

For Miami, rookie Nikola Jovic (back) and Duncan Robinson (finger) both earned themselves a few weeks on the sideline while Omer Yurtseven remains out. DeWayne Dedmon and Udonis Haslem were both listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game @ the Lakers, but their availability for Phoenix hasn’t yet been made clear.

Keys for Suns

Phoenix finally looked a little more competitive in their game in Cleveland after looking rightfully decimated by injuries for much of their 1-5 road trip. That could just be a factor of getting healthier bodies back — though Payne now returns to the sideline — but there was also a clearer defensive effort by my eyes.

Suns have struggled in recent memory against Miami’s helter skelter system, so that defense will be imperative, as will the shooting against such a high-volume three-point shooting Heat squad — 36.4 attempts per game, 8th in the league.

Prediction

I’m predicting the recent progress continues and the Suns finally get a win, though it’s not near time for a big streak or anything like that. They’re in a rut and unless something major changes, it’s going to be a while.