The Phoenix Suns know what it's like to be without their best scorer for an extended period of time. The Miami Heat don't want to know how it feels much longer.
With injured star Dwyane Wade's left shoulder and left knee still on the mend and Miami looking nothing like the team that won the NBA championship two seasons ago, the Heat look for their first win of the season Friday night at home against Phoenix.
Although he has yet to appear in a game this season, Wade isn't expected to miss much more time -- he began practicing again this week with the team -- but the Heat are desperately seeking a spark for their woeful offense. Miami (0-4) is scoring only 82.8 points per game in 2007-08, including a season low Wednesday night in an 88-78 defeat at San Antonio.
"We all have to come together as a team without D-Wade right now. We have to find ourselves," said Heat guard Smush Parker, who managed only four points in more than 27 minutes off the bench. "And when he comes back it's going to be a tremendous help to us."
In the interim, the Heat need to figure out a solution to fill the void.
They acquired guard Ricky Davis from Minnesota a week before the season started, and Davis has averaged a team-high 15.5 points. But beyond that, there isn't a whole lot of offensive talent to be found. Rookie Daequan Cook, who left Ohio State after his freshman year and wasn't expected to see much playing time, is the team's fourth-leading scorer with 10.5 points per game.
Veteran Shaquille O'Neal's drastic decrease in production has hurt the most. The burly center is scoring just 12.8 points per game -- about half his career average -- and no longer consistently commands a double-team.
Phoenix (3-2) is in the midst of a four-game Southern road trip taking place over five nights. The Suns blew out Charlotte 115-83 in the first game of the trip, but lost at Atlanta 105-96 on Wednesday.
They got outrebounded 56-40, as athletic center Amare Stoudemire sat out his third game in a row with a sore right knee. The two-time All-Star, who had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 2, said he expects to play Friday.
"The second chance points were just too much, which is why we need a guy like Amare playing," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Boris (Diaw) tried to box out, but their guards are just as big as he is."
With Stoudemire out, point guard Steve Nash has taken on more of a scoring role. While his 8.6 assists per game still have him near the top of the league, Nash is averaging 22.2 points and is connecting on 55 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Phoenix has won four in a row against the Heat -- all by nine points or more -- including the past two matchups in Miami.
Nash is averaging 14.9 points and 7.8 assists lifetime versus the Heat, including a 19-assist game on Jan. 6, 2006.