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Heat go for fourth straight against Pacers

Jan 30, 2009 - 11:14 AM Miami (25-19) at Indiana (18-28) 7:00 p.m. EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- A pair of solid defensive performances have the Miami Heat on the verge of matching their longest winning streak of the season.

However, Dwyane Wade and the Heat may need to pick things up on the offensive end if they plan on topping the high-scoring Indiana Pacers on Friday.

Miami won the last three legs of a four-game homestand to move to a season-high six games over .500. After limiting Atlanta to its lowest-scoring performance of the season in a 95-79 win on Monday, the Heat cruised past lowly Washington 93-71 Wednesday.

The red-hot Wade cooled off against the Wizards, scoring 12 points, his lowest output in over two months. He sank 6-of-16 from the field but Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook scored 16 points apiece to carry the offensive load.

T.J. Ford's return to the starting lineup has paid dividends so far for the Pacers. After collecting 23 points in a 135-111 loss to Orlando, Ford tied a career-high with 34 points on 14-of-21 shooting, leading Indiana to a 107-99 win over Milwaukee.

The Pacers have won 15 straight home games against Miami, postseason included, since a loss on December 31, 2001. Indiana also won a 109-100 contest in Miami on November 22 this season behind 25 points from Marquis Daniels and 23 from Danny Granger.

An All-Star candidate, Granger missed Wednesday's game with a sore right knee, but he expects to play against Miami.