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The Miami Heat's defense has improved lately, and that has pleased coach Erik Spoelstra, according to Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel.
The Heat allowed 93 points against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday and 88 points to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday to help end the six-game road trip on a high note:
"It's more about consistency right now," Spoelstra said. "We've shown that we can play our defense at key moments in games and during stretches. We know. Our guys are very mature, have a lot of experience... The last two games were better with that but we have to build on that."
Miami, which is 8-3 this season, ranks 11th in scoring defense at 99.1 points allowed per game, according to Richardson.
Spoelstra said his team wasn't trying to rely on its offense too much or resting on last year's championship, saying: "That's the easy thing for people to deduce, but it's not necessarily the case."
After the Heat's six-game road trip (the Heat finished it 4-2), Miami is back in action at home Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Heat will then welcome LeBron James' old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday.