NBA Game Preview - Miami at Cleveland

Wed Jan 2, 2019 7:00 PM EST

The host Miami Heat, who have not been above .500 since the fifth game of the season, can get a little closer to that modest goal if they can defeat the dismal Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

The Heat are just 17-18 overall, but Miami is encouraged by a 9-5 record in December.

"We're making strides," Heat veteran guard Dwyane Wade said. "I know we improved (in December)."

Part of that improvement in December was a 118-94 win over the Cavaliers this past Friday.

Miami's Justise Winslow, who has converted from forward to a 6-7, 225-pound point guard following 2018 All-Star Goran Dragic's recent knee surgery, was brilliant against Cleveland.

In 34 minutes, he produced game highs in points (24), rebounds (11) and assists (7). He made 11 of 21 shots from the floor and had two steals and just two turnovers. His only negative was his 3-point shooting (0 for 4), which has been a persistent problem for Winslow ever since he left Duke following his 2014-2015 freshman season.

After winning a national title in 2015 at Duke, Winslow was the 10th overall pick in that year's draft as the Heat resisted some wild multi-player trade offers from the Boston Celtics.

Miami's decision hasn't always seemed wise, but Winslow's recent play has given Heat decision-makers some more hope.

"You can tell the game is slowing down for him," Wade said when asked about Winslow following last Friday's game.

As for the Cavaliers, they have the worst record in the NBA at 8-29. They have lost six straight games, and their 3-16 road record is the worst in the Eastern Conference.

In Friday's game at Miami, the Cavaliers shot an impressive 58 percent from the floor in the first quarter, taking a 30-29 lead. However, the Cavaliers shot just 32 percent the rest of the game.

"We didn't make shots," said reserve guard Jordan Clarkson, who led the team with 18 points. "We had good looks, but we didn't knock them down."

A player to watch for Cleveland is 6-2 rookie point guard Collin Sexton, who was a McDonald's All-American and that event's dunk champion in 2017 and the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2018 while playing for Alabama.

The Cavaliers drafted Sexton eighth overall this past June, and the speedy rookie has had his peaks and valleys. In 37 games, including 27 starts, he is averaging 14.8 points and 2.7 assists. He is shooting 86.6 percent from the foul line, 36.1 percent on 3-pointers but just 43.9 percent on shots from inside the arc.

Sexton, who had three assists, three turnovers and eight points on 2-for-10 shooting against the Heat, has struggled a bit without teammate Tristan Thompson, the power forward who is out due to a foot injury. Thompson is tied for the NBA with an average of 5.7 screen assists per game, and his connection with Sexton on pick-and-roll plays was obvious.

With Thompson in the lineup, Sexton had scored in double figures 18 straight games. Without Thompson, Sexton has had three games in the past three weeks in which he has been held to eight points or fewer.

It will be interesting to see if Sexton and Winslow go head to head. Winslow, 22, is a couple years older than Sexton, who turns 20 on Friday. Winslow is also 5 inches taller and 35 pounds heavier, although Sexton figures to have a significant advantage in speed and quickness.