WINNING WAYS

After snapping one streak, the Heat will try to extend another in Wednesday night's game against the Hawks at Phillips Arena.

The Heat looks to win its third in a row on the road. It also is going for back-to-back wins after beating the Timberwolves on Monday to snap a three-game home skid.

''It's like you're stuck in mud and you're trying to get out of it and it's fatiguing -- mentally fatiguing,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. ``The best part of it is you're right on to the next game.''

The goal is to find some consistency after an up-and-down stretch. The Heat won two in a row on the road and then lost two in a row at home before Monday's victory. After facing the Hawks, the Heat returns home to play the Nets on Thursday.

''We're going to have to get a streak going and play good for more than one or two games,'' forward Udonis Haslem said.

PARKER UPDATE

Heat guard Smush Parker, who has been kept away from the team since his Nov. 27 altercation with a valet attendant, has contacted the NBA players association for help in resolving his issues with the team.

The players association appears to be limited in what it can do because the Heat continues to pay Smush Parker his full salary from the two-year, $4.6 million contract he signed as a free agent last summer.

Riley said Tuesday he has not decided what to do with Smush Parker, who likely will be traded but also could be released or bought out of his contract.

 

 

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