The Miami Heat blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter as they lost to the Sacramento Kings and fall to 9th in the Eastern Conference.

After losing his debut as interim head coach, Doug Christie has led the Sacramento Kings to five consecutive wins. The Kings are now tied for tenth place in the Western Conference with an 18-19 record, sitting just two-and-a-half games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for sixth place.

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The Miami Heat head to Golden 1 Center to face the Sacramento Kings in a non-conference matchup. The Heat are 17-16, which puts them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Kings are 16-19, which puts them in 12th place in the Western Conference.

With Heat star Jimmy Butler serving the second game of his seven-game suspension, the Heat’s defense was suffocating through three quarters. The Heat entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point advantage, limiting the Kings to just 68 points on 38 percent shooting from the field and 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) shooting from three-point range.

The Heat (17-16) and Milwaukee Bucks are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Miami is coming off back-to-back home losses to the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz as the team sets out on a six-game, 11-day road trip.

Get the latest Heat vs Kings predictions ahead of Monday's clash. Free NBA picks and predictions for January 7.

The Sacramento Kings have responded well to the firing of head coach Mike Brown, as they’ve won four games in a row, including a 30-point win over the Golden St

Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat (17-16) will visit the Sacramento Kings (17-19) at Golden 1 Center on Monday, January 6. The game starts at 10:00 PM ET.The Kings won their last outing 129-99

DETROIT — Before the Warriors’ game against the Pistons, Steve Kerr told his team that they needed to start winning the individual battles. Basketball is a team sport, but it’s made up of hundreds of micro games within the game. The box-outs, the loose balls, the contested boards, the ability to stay in front of your man.

As the Miami Heat broke their huddle in the locker following Tuesday night’s victory over the Golden State Warriors, the chant was, “Breakthrough on three!” The hope, after an excruciating double-overtime loss the night before against the Sacramento Kings,