Phoenix Suns vs Miami Heat 3/9/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat Matchup Preview (3/9/22)

The injury-riddled Phoenix Suns will head to Miami to try and minimize any further damage from Chris Paul’s injury. Since losing Paul, and Devin Booker for a few games due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Suns have struggled at times, including losses to the New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, and Milwaukee Bucks. While none of those losses are unforgivable, it does show that the Suns are indeed mortal.

Meanwhile, Miami has finally been able to get every one of its players healthy, including Victor Oladipo, who has not played in a long time. The Heat have struggled with keeping players healthy all season and only recently have had virtually every significant player available. Regardless, they are still in first place in the Eastern Conference, three games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami is a disciplined enough team to not play down to the Suns’ current level and, instead, execute at a high level on both ends of the floor for 48 minutes. Check my analysis for this game below and see who I like to win and who I like to cover!

Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat Betting Odds

Phoenix has won three of its past four games, but two of those were nail-biters against awful teams. It had a three-point win against the Orlando Magic and a one-point win against the New York Knicks; those are wins you feel a little less good about than ones against .500 and above teams. At the end of the day, Phoenix has gotten by with some mediocre play since losing Chris Paul and then Devin Booker right after. I love the Miami Heat against the spread here if Booker still does not play in this game. Miami has been rock solid, winning seven of its past eight games. The one game that Miami did not win was on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks, who have been on fire, and they still only lost by one point in an infrequent, composure-less moment. Additionally, the Heat match up well with the Suns at every position. Outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo, there is likely not a more difficult matchup for Deandre Ayton than Bam Adebayo. The return of Victor Oladipo brings another athletic scoring guard off the bench for a team that is already incredibly deep. I fully anticipate Miami to control this game from beginning to end and will take it against the spread up to eight or nine points.

How To Watch

Date: 3/9/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: FTX Arena – Miami, FL
Channel: ESPN

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Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup

PG: Cam Payne
SG: Landry Shamet
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: Deandre Ayton

Phoenix Suns Analysis

Phoenix is comfortably in first place in the Western Conference right now, but it will want to ensure that it does not drop games it should win while waiting on Booker and Paul’s return. Booker will return much quicker than Paul, so surely the Suns will be in good shape sooner versus later; however, this game could be a bit rough. They will be without Booker, Paul, and Cam Johnson: three key players to their offensive unit. Still, a lineup of Cam Payne, Landry Shamet, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, and Deandre Ayton should be somewhat competitive, even against a dominant team like the Heat.

Miami Heat Starting Lineup

PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Jimmy Butler
SF: P.J. Tucker
PF: Duncan Robinson
C: Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat Analysis

Miami sits alone in first place of an ultra-competitive Eastern Conference and is three games ahead of the next closest team. The Heat have battled the injury bug all season long, and at last, they seem to have overcome it. This team has depth, experience, leadership, and a bountiful combination of offensive and defensive-minded players. The other intangible that I always mention about the Heat is their culture. Few NBA organizations run a team as well as Miami does, and keeping guys like Udonis Haslem on the sideline as a sort of player/coach has been well worth it.

Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat Daily Fantasy Picks

As long as Chris Paul remains out with a finger injury, Cam Payne will be a terrific play in DFS. Before playing the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, Payne had played in three games after returning from his own injury. Payne did not play very well in the first game, but he was a beast the next two games once he got his bearings. Payne put up 17 points and 16 assists against the New York Knicks and then dropped 23 points and eight assists versus the Milwaukee Bucks. This should continue for this game, especially if Devin Booker does not return from the health and safety protocols and Cam Johnson still remains out from his injury. The Suns do not have as much offense on the floor with those two, so Payne has to be leaned on for overall usage a lot more than usual. He has proven that he can put up big stat sheet numbers, so expect more of the same for this matchup!

Tyler Herro has exploded onto the scene this season and is the runaway favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year award; the race is literally not close at all, with Kelly Oubre Jr being in second place from most of the sportsbooks with over +4000 odds. Herro is the heart of this Heat team off the bench and provides instant scoring. Herro gets starter-level floor time, so there is no need to worry about his minutes and consequent production. Herro has averaged roughly 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists on the season, but he has been even more impressive recently. Over his past seven games, Herro has posted 26 points per game, so now is a great time to consider utilizing him in your DFS lineups.