Sloppy Heat suffers ‘butt-whupping’ against Hornets 99-81: No team has played as few road games as the Heat, which hosted 14 of its first 19 to start the season. The schedule isn’t nearly as forgiving over the next seven weeks — Miami plays 12 of 13 on the road in one grueling January stretch — and far more will be required than the dreadful effort the Heat served up here Wednesday night. -- The Miami Herald
Whiteside practicing small ball, is confident he can be effective: The Heat spent practice time this week working on defending five-guard lineups, and Hassan Whiteside said he’s “excited” to prove he can be an asset defensively in those lineups after not getting the opportunity on Monday against Washington.