Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - January 8th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Miami Heat willcontinue their Western Conference road trip when they visit the Footprint Center in Arizona to take on the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

The Suns are on a three-game winning streak, and hold the best record in the league right now. Meanwhile, the Heat are struggling to rack up wins because of their injury-riddled roster. They have lost two of their last three games, including one against the Sacramento Kings.

The Miami Heat are fourth in the East right now, with a 24-15 record. They have had several players walk in and out of the lineup, which has impacted their consistency. Coach Erik Spoelstra has had to deploy several different starting lineups. So many analysts are predicting that they might fall down the conference standings.

The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, have been consistent all season. They have been extremely dominant at both ends of the floor. They have the second-ranked defense in the NBA to go along with the seventh-highest offensive rating. Chris Paul is leading the league in assists, and has forced himself in the early MVP discussion. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges is in the DPOY discussion.

Miami Heat Injury Report

Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat gets helped up by his teammates after suffering an ankle injury

Jimmy Butler's status has been upgraded to questionable for this game. He suffered an ankle injury during the third quarter of the game against the Golden State Warriors, and hasn't played since then.

Bam Adebayo, Victor Oladipo, Markieff Morris, Dewayne Dedmon and KZ Okpala remain sidelined due to their long-term injuries.

Additionally, Duncan Robinson and PJ Tucker have cleared the league's health and safety protocols. However, Marcus Garrett and Gabe Vincent are still under them.

Player Name:	Status:	Reason:
Jimmy Butler	Questionable	Right Ankle Sprain
Bam Adebayo	Out	Right Thumb - UCL Reconstruction Surgery
Dewayne Dedmon	Out	Left Knee Sprain
Markieff Morris	Out	Neck Whiplash
Victor Oladipo	Out	Right Knee Injury - Recovery
KZ Okpala	Out	Right Wrist Sprain
Udonis Haslem	Out	Not With Team
Marcus Garrett	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Gabe Vincent	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Aric Holman	Out	Ineligible to Play
Nik Stauskas	Out	Ineligible to Play
Mario Chalmers	Out	Ineligible to Play

Veteran Udonis Haslem is not with the team, while Mario Chalmers, Nik Stauskas and Aric Holman are all ineligible to play right now.

Phoenix Suns Injury Report

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns reacts after a call.

The Phoenix Suns didn't have Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and JaVale McGee for their last game, as they are undergoing conditioning. They should all be available for this game, though.

Landry Shamet and Abdel Nader are under the league's health and safety protocols. Meanwhile, Dario Saric and Frank Kaminsky both continue to rehabilitate from their respective knee injuries.

Player Name:	Status:	Reason:
Dario Saric	Out	Right Knee (ACL) Injury - Recovery
Frank Kaminsky	Out	Right Knee Injury
Abdel Nader	Out	Health and Safety Protocols
Landry Shamet	Out	Health and Safety Protocols

Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns: Predicted Lineups

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are will likely deploy the lineup from their last game if Jimmy Butler is not cleared to play.

Kyle Lowry and Max Strus will likely run the backcourt with Lowry at point. Duncan Robinson should come off the bench for the time being. Omar Yurtseven has done a great job filling in for Bam Adebayo as the team's center, while PJ Tucker will likely retain his power forward role.

Finally, Caleb Martin should play the small forward position if Butler doesn't play. Tyler Herro and Kyle Guy should get the most minutes off the bench along with Robinson.

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns will likely deploy their ideal lineup against the Heat. Chris Paul and Devin Booker should form the star backcourt while Deandre Ayton returns to the center position.

Mikal Bridges should be the small forward, while Jae Crowder could be the power forward. Cameron Johnson and Cameron Payne should get the most minutes in the second unit along with possibly Elfrid Payton.

Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns: Predicted Starting 5s

Miami Heat

G - Kyle Lowry | G - Max Strus | F - Caleb Martin | F - PJ Tucker | C - Omar Yurtseven..

Phoenix Suns

G - Chris Paul | G - Devin Booker | F - Mikal Bridges | F - Jae Crowder | C - Deandre Ayton.