Miami @ Portland preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 13, 2017 ) Portland 102, Miami 95

The Portland Trail Blazers are using a lengthy winning streak to put a little separation between themselves and the rest of the pack in the Western Conference and don't intend to slip back. The Trail Blazers will try to run the winning streak to 10 in a row when they host the Miami Heat on Monday.

Portland sits in third place in the West, two games clear of a trio of teams vying for the No. 4 spot and 3 1/2 ahead of three teams tied for eighth. "I'm proud of it but we've got to keep going," Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard told reporters. "I think we've done a great job of being sharp in practices and when we go in the film room, we've been taking our game seriously. Not that we haven't all season, but I think lately it's a different level of focus, it's more intense. It's a different excitement amongst our team." The Heat are in a similar battle for position in the East and are holding down the No. 7 spot, with the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers only three games in front entering Sunday. Miami comes in hot with two straight wins over teams above it in the standings, including a 129-102 thrashing of the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Sun (Miami), NBCS Northwest (Portland)

ABOUT THE HEAT (36-31): The downside of Saturday's win was that guard Dwyane Wade went down with a strained hamstring and does not expect to play on Monday. "I won't be in the lineup against Portland, I can probably guarantee that," Wade told reporters. "I have time to get treatment and try to take it day to day and see when I get back. Hopefully I'm not out too long. I don't know how long. I have no timetable right now. All you can do is do your treatment and do your strengthening and whenever you feel like it's ready to go just get on the floor." Wade is averaging 15.7 points in six games this month and the team is 7-5 in 12 games since he was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (40-26): Portland isn't taking its position in the No. 3 spot for granted and continues to stay up to date on the teams chasing it in the standings. "I think we're all very much aware of what the standings are and there's not a team in that group 3-10 that has the luxury to get too excited about anything one way or the other," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "All eight of those teams are battling and there's not a lot of room to breathe." Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 58 points on Friday as Portland knocked off the defending champion Golden State Warriors 125-108.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Heat C Hassan Whiteside (hip) sat out Saturday and is questionable for Monday.

2. Trail Blazers C Zach Collins went 5-of-6 from the floor on Friday after combining to go 1-of-8 in the two previous contests.

3. Portland took the last four in the series, including a 102-95 victory at Miami on Dec. 13.

PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 112, Heat 108