The Phoenix Suns have won 8 of their 10 games this season when Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal all played, but they’ve only won 1 out of 8 games when Durant is absent.
On Saturday, the Suns will face the Miami Heat without Durant, who is out with an injured left ankle.
This puts more pressure on Booker, who has been averaging 25.1 points and 6.3 assists. The Suns have a 6-1 record when Booker gets eight or more assists in a game, and he prefers to play the entire first quarter to get into a rhythm.
“That allows me to score,” Booker said, “and also to facilitate.”
The Suns are also without starting center Jusuf Nurkic (right thigh contusion), who averages 8.9 points and leads the team with 9.9 rebounds. Royce O’Neale has stepped in for Durant, and Mason Plumlee has filled in for Nurkic.
Durant, who is expected to miss about a week, leads the Suns in scoring with 25.8 points per game, and also contributes 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Despite his absence, the Suns still have other key players like Beal, who averages 18.0 points, and Tyus Jones, who contributes 11.8 points and leads the team with 7 assists. Role players like Grayson Allen (10.6 points) are also crucial to the team’s success.
Earlier this season, the Suns won 115-112 at home against the Heat while fully healthy. Miami’s Tyler Herro, who scored 28 points and had six assists in that game, will be a key player for the Suns to defend.
Herro leads the Heat in scoring with 24.1 points per game and also averages 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting a career-high 42 percent on 3-pointers.
Bam Adebayo, Miami’s versatile center, has seen his scoring drop to 15.6 points per game but still leads the team in rebounds with 9.9 and assists with 5.
Jimmy Butler, who has missed five games due to injury, is averaging 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. While Butler doesn’t take many 3-pointers, he is still very effective at drawing fouls and leads the Heat in free-throw attempts with 7.6 per game.
Miami, like the Suns, relies on role players, including Terry Rozier (12.7 points per game) and shooter Duncan Robinson (10.2 points, 36% from 3-point range).
Kevin Love, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Haywood Highsmith provide solid depth for the Heat, with all nine players mentioned having started at least one game this season. Jovic, who had eight starts, has been out of the rotation and hasn’t played in the past six games.
“I know I’m a good player — I don’t think it’s that,” Jovic said. “It’s the style of play and the things (coach Erik Spoelstra) wants from certain lineups.”
