Miami Finishes Preseason With Fourth Straight Win

The Miami Heat finished their preseason with a fourth straight win on Friday as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-98.

After starting the preseason with four consecutive losses, the Heat rolled off four straight wins to finish 4-4. The Heat appear to be ready for the regular season with their consistent play and they have also avoided injuries for the most part.

One player who wasn't so healthy on Friday was Luol Deng who missed the game with lower back tightness. Deng is expected to be ready to go for the season opener but Josh McRoberts remains a question mark. McRoberts missed the entire preseason following toe surgery and it is uncertain if he will be ready to go in less than a week.

With Deng out, James Ennis made a rare start. Ennis struggled in the opportunity though scoring only ten points in 30 minutes. Ennis also turned the ball over four times and he may not see many minutes going forward despite a strong start to the preseason.

Dwyane Wade was efficient for a second straight game on Friday. After shooting 11-16 for 26 points in his last game, Wade was 7-9 for 16 points in this contest. Wade also added two assists and three rebounds.

Shawne Williams who is a candidate to start in place of McRoberts in the opener scored ten points and tallied five rebounds in 26 minutes of play. Udonis Haslem would be another potential name to replace McRoberts. The Heat veteran was one of several of players to not play in the preseason finale.

Chris Bosh finished the exhibition slate with another solid effort. The big man scored 21 points to go along with six rebounds in his 26 minutes. Bosh also had two blocks and a steal in the game.