The Miami Heat returned to a playoff position with a 112-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Miami has now gone 3-1 on the current five game homestand, and has won seven of the last nine games overall. The Heat are back in eighth place with this victory, coupled with a loss by the Detroit Pistons. At 35-36, Miami remains within striking distance of four playoff positions.
The three-ball helped Miami to the easy win, as the team was 11-27 from downtown. It was one of the finer nights in terms of treys for the Heat this season, and several players contributed to the effort. Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington all made multiple three-pointers in the game.
Hassan Whiteside had quite a historic evening, and both franchise marks he set or extended had to do with rebounds. Whiteside reached double-digits in boards for a Heat-record 55th time, and he also extended his double-double streak to a franchise-record 13 straight games.
Whiteside's final totals in the win were 23 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with three steals and two blocks. The center was busy on both ends with the court, and the Heat were +23 with Whiteside on the court.
Josh Richardson continued to fill in for Dion Waiters, and gave Miami 14 points and two assists in his 34 minutes.
The homestand will conclude on Thursday when the Heat host the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m.
