Luol Deng (thigh injury) optimistic about playing vs. Orlando Magic

Luol Deng’s versatility and emergence as a scorer have been absolutely vital to the Heat’s survival without Chris Bosh, and they can’t afford to go without him long.

The good news for Miami is that Deng thinks he’ll be back soon. He sat out the loss to San Antonio on Wednesday to recover from a bruised left thigh, an injury that has bothered him since a collision with Charlotte’s Marvin Williams on Mar. 17, but was optimistic about playing Friday against the Magic.

“It’s not something that’s gonna be long,” Deng said. “We just want to give it two days. It happened in the Charlotte game. The Cleveland game was OK, didn’t feel great, but we played well. My mindset (Tuesday at New Orleans) was try to do as much as I can. I wasn’t gonna come out at the end of the game. It’s just being smart, really. It’s not something I see being long.”

Deng struggled against the Pelicans with five points on 1-for-7 shooting in 29 minutes. He felt slower than usual because of the injury.

“It was my usual running and moving just getting tighter,” he said. “That always happens with bruises. You can get away with a bruise during the game and maybe the next couple days, but after like three days or so it gets tighter and tighter. It feels better today. We’re just trying to be smart and get as much treatment as we can on it. Hopefully I’ll be ready next game.”

Dwyane Wade has now entered ranked 39th in the list scoring

Still climbing! Dwyane Wade has now moved into 39th place on the NBA's All-Time scoring list (20,050).

Final:Heat 88 - Spurs 112

Final: HEAT 88 - Spurs 112. Richardson 17pts, Wade 16pts 5rebs, Green 13pts, Whiteside 12pts 14rebs, Winslow 10pts.

Miami Heat May Be Hurting Chances To Re-Sign Hassan Whiteside With Recent Praise

Hassan Whiteside has been a revelation since coming to the Miami Heat last season. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and he is due a major pay increase.

The Miami Heat have been playing really good basketball lately, as they have won nine of their last 12 games entering the stretch run of the season. It is at the point with this Heat team that if they do eventually get Chris Bosh back, many people could see them beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in a playoff series.

One of the biggest keys to Miami's recent success has been the play of center Hassan Whiteside. The seven-footer has been coming off the bench for more than a month now, but he has still been producing big numbers.  This offseason, the Heat will have a decision to make on Whiteside, as he is set to become a free agent and is due a massive pay raise.

All along, the expectation has been that the Heat would let Whiteside walk this offseason because they won't have the cap space to offer him a max contract. Lately, though, it has seemed more likely that they would be willing to shell out the money for a player who seems to still be growing. Team president Pat Riley has been effusive in his praise for his center recently, but in that praise, he realizes that he may be hurting himself this summer.

"We've had some players that we've opened our eyes up on, but I think what Hassan did last year and what he's doing now, his level of play it's just all about more experience, more reps, understanding how important he is for us," Riley said. "But in my 50 years in the NBA, I have never seen that kind of phenomenon. I know this is hurting me right now as far as his free agency goes because I'm complimenting him, but he's grown a lot."

That statement comes from a man that sounds like he is willing to make Whiteside his number one priority this offseason. Still, though, keeping Whiteside will certainly not be easy, as the Heat still have to pay Dwyane Wade, who is playing this season on a one year $20 million deal. Riley is a master of figuring out cap space and how to fit guys in, but before recently, it didn't seem like a possibility that they would keep the 26-year-old center.

You can bet that there will be several teams out there that will throw max money at Whiteside this offseason. His growth since getting his first NBA shot has truly been remarkable, and because of that, the Heat understandably want to keep him, but they will have a lot of competition for his services. At this point, it has become fairly clear that if the Heat don't offer Whiteside a max contract, he will move on, but Riley sounds like he will try and figure out a way to make that happen

Miami Heat are a real Threat to win the East.

The Miami Heat have scored 100+ points in 11 straight games, the 2nd-longest streak in franchise history (14 straight in 1993-94).


In March, Miami is averaging 113.4 points per game.

Ever since Joe Johnson joined after the Trade Deadline, Miami's offense has been on an absolute tear.

The Heat are the biggest threat to the Cavs.

Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat

There are jokes about older folks retiring in Miami and then there's the current starting lineup for the 2015-16 Heat, which is enjoying a Last Vegas-style romp towards the postseason.

Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson andGoran Dragic have comprised an unlikely starting unit (prompted by Chris Bosh's health issues and Hassan Whiteside's move to the bench) that has, at least for the time being, pushed the Heat to the top half of the highly competitive Eastern Conference.

On Sunday the Heat steamrolled the first-seeded Cavaliers, 122-101, continuing their home domination since LeBron defected back to the Cleve. They've maintained a top-5-ish defense through a year of injury and roster turnover and have done so with a number of guys who haven't been known for their play on that end of the floor throughout their careers.

The team's resilience likely has something to do with Pat Riley's adoption of some South Florida voodoo magic, but more to do with the way coachErik Spoelstra has brilliantly adapted his roster to suit different styles. Zach Lowe's latest essential read touches on one five-man group -- Dragic, Deng, Whiteside and rookies Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow -- that blends length on the wings with Whiteside's presence down low, a combination that should give the Spurs some trouble.

Whiteside's relegation to the bench has been more of a rotation thing than demotion, as he's still playing big minutes and closing out the first half with the starters. His presence on the court in plus-minus doesn't quite reflect his staggering counting stats (nearly 12 boards and four blocks per), but he's still a singular talent in following the ball and protecting the rim. It'll be interesting to see which team most wants to bet on his upside over his maturity issues this summer -- remember he got ejected the last time the Spurs and Heat met in what was ultimately a decisive moment in SA's 18-point win in South Beach.

Miami Heat records successful night

 Miami is now a perfect 11-0 when scoring 110+ and 26-9 when scoring 100+ in games this season.

 Miami has scored 100+ in 11 straight games, their longest such streak since doing so in 14 consecutive in 1994.

Miami is now 19-1 when holding opponents to under 40% from the field.