The Sacramento Kings have the South Beach blues. The last time the Kings beat the Heat at American Airlines Arena, 35-year-old Caron Butler was a sophomore at UConn and Willie Cauley-Stein was in second grade. For the 14th-consecutive time, the Kings fell to the Heat in American Airlines Arena, this time by the final of 116-109.
The marquee matchup of DeMarcus Cousins versus Hassan Whiteside fizzled well before tipoff. Cousins missed the game due to suspension. Whiteside struggled with foul trouble early and played just 18 minutes in the win.
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[RELATED: NBA suspends Cousins for forearm to Horford's head]
Dwyane Wade jumped all over the Kings, scoring 24 points on 10-for-23 shooting. Chris Bosh finished with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double and Tyler Johnson chipped in 19 off the Heat bench.
Marco Belinelli played his best game of the season, finishing with 23 points on 5-for-10 shooting from downtown. Rajon Rondo scored 14 points, handed out 18 assists, grabbed nine rebounds and turned the ball over just three times in a sparkling 40 minutes of action.
Ben McLemore scored 17 on 7-of-12 shooting, while Omri Casspi added 16 in his first start of the season. Rudy Gay dropped in 13 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, but left the game early with a left shoulder strain.
NBA
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Wade turned back the clock on the Kings tonight, scorching Sacramento with a variety of moves. The 11-time All-Star scored 24 points and added six assists and five rebounds.
TURNING POINT
The Kings trailed by six going to the fourth quarter, but an early push by Miami extended the lead to 16. Sacramento fought down the stretch, but the advantage was too great to overcome.
INJURY UPDATE
Rudy Gay tweaked his left shoulder in the third quarter and sat the remainder of the game. He has been diagnosed with a left shoulder strain, leaving his availability for the remainder of the Kings road trip in question.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Kings return to action on Saturday with a matinee game in Orlando against the Magic. They round out their five-game trip Monday with a stop in Charlotte to play the Hornets, followed by a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.