Miami Heat poised for season’s first Western Conference trip
MIAMI — “It’s a gauntlet.”
And, with that from coach Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat took flight Wednesday for their first western swing of the season.
The Heat have only played one Western Conference opponent on the road to this point, an Oct. 28 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their third game of the season, which Jimmy Butler sat out. Now, the Heat are about to see how the other half lives.
“We’re aware of the teams we’re playing,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat holding one final practice Wednesday in Miami before heading out on a trip that will not have them back at Kaseya Center until a Jan. 8 game against the Houston Rockets. “It always is a challenge on the road.”
That will be particularly true this time around, with a trip that opens Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors, and continues with games against the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
“And I love the environments,” Spoelstra said, “and I love the way the road tests your team emotionally and physically.”
While the 10 days on the road requires added baggage, it’s also nothing new after a road-intensive start to the season. Already this season, the Heat have had an eight-day, four-game trip and a nine-day, five-game trip.
“This group,” Spoelstra said, “we’re not making excuses for any of the guys being in and out. We understand what our identity is and what it takes to win, and we’re working on our consistency to do it.”
That had the Heat taking flight with six victories in their last eight overall and a 9-6 road record, which entering Wednesday was tied for the most road wins in the East. The Heat enter the trip on a three-game road winning streak.
So what comes next?
Thursday at Warriors: Golden State had been on a season-turning five-game win streak before Monday’s Christmas road loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Amid Draymond Green’s indefinite NBA suspension for overly aggressive play, the Warriors have altered their starting alignment, with Jonathan Kuminga opening in place of Green and rookie Brandin Podziemski moving into the first five, with Andrew Wiggins shuffled to the bench.
The Heat have lost eight of their last nine at Golden State, but are 5-5 against the Warriors over the past five seasons.
Spoelstra worked as an assistant to Warriors coach Steve Kerr during this past summer’s World Cup in the Philippines.
Saturday at Jazz: The Jazz, amid what appears to be another lottery season under the rebuild of Danny Ainge, are on a three-game winning streak against lesser-tier competition but also have been largely rumored to be in sell mode ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trading deadline.
Among the familiar faces on the Jazz roster are former Heat big men Kelly Olynyk and Omer Yurtseven, as well as former South Florida high school star John Collins.
The Heat enter on a five-game winning streak against the Jazz, with victories in their last two visits to Utah.
Jan. 1 at Clippers: This will be part of a unique sports day in the Los Angeles area, with Michigan and Alabama playing in nearby Pasadena in a national semifinal football playoff game. So, yes, traffic to both shootaround at UCLA and the game at Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as Staples Center) could be a factor.
The Clippers had regained their footing after the trade for James Harden by moving Russell Westbrook to the bench, but then had recent lopsided losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, games played with Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a hip bruise.
The Heat swept the two-game series last season, but had lost their previous three road games against the Clippers.
Former Heat forward P.J. Tucker has been moved to a largely inactive role at the end of the Clippers’ bench. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue worked alongside Spoelstra as a Team USA assistant at this summer’s World Cup.
Jan. 3 at Lakers: This could be part of a test of SoCal restraint, with the Heat in Los Angeles for four consecutive days ahead of this matchup.
The Heat won the first game of the two-game season series 108-107 on Nov. 6 at Katya Center when Lakers forward Cam Reddish missed an open jumper just before the final buzzer. LeBron James scored 30 in that loss.
The Heat have lost four of their past five road games against the Lakers, including last season’s visit.
The Lakers have been largely uneven with their play since winning the In Season Tournament, including losses to the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.
Having missed the teams’ first game, former Heat guard Gabe Vincent again is sidelined by a knee issue.
Jan. 5 at Suns: The latest incarnation of a super team since the Heat’s Big Three of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Suns have been on an uneven path with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who has missed most of the season due to injury.
The Suns went into Wednesday out of both the playoff and play-in picture in the Western Conference.
The Heat swept last season’s two-game series against the Suns, with victories in 12 of their last 13 visits to Phoenix.
Former Spoelstra Heat assistant David Fizdale is a member of Frank Vogel’s coaching staff.
