Kel'el Ware has had his ups and downs, but the Miami Heat’s 2024 first-round pick has been on a hot streak lately.

The Heat are looking for more production from their 7-footer Tuesday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets. Miami, winners of four of their past six games, is coming off a 115-105 victory over Houston on Saturday. Ware played the entire fourth quarter, finishing with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

“Big fella brought it today,” Heat star Bam Adebayo said of Ware, who has averaged 12.5 points and 11.0 rebounds over his past eight games. “(Coach Erik Spoelstra) challenged him in walk-through, and he responded. We just need him to keep that consistent mindset.”

Adebayo, who stands 6-foot-10, enjoys when Spoelstra pairs him with Ware in a double-big lineup.

“(Ware) listens to me,” Adebayo said. “Sometimes he ignores ‘Spo.’ But I’ve banked so much equity with him throughout the summer from 6 a.m. workouts. He has to earn his minutes, but when he’s out there with me, I feel like he gets better.”

The Heat (18-11 at home) are playing without All-Star Norman Powell, who is sidelined with a groin injury. Powell leads Miami with 22.5 points per game. With Powell out Saturday, Tyler Herro returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 15. Herro, who has played just 16 games this season due to fractured ribs, averages 21.0 points per game, second on the team.

Meanwhile, the Nets are struggling on the road with a 7-23 record and sit near the bottom of the league standings. Brooklyn is coming off a 106-102 home loss to Cleveland on Sunday, marking the team’s eighth straight defeat—the longest active streak in the NBA.

With a roster among the league’s least talented, the Nets are focused on improving draft lottery odds for a strong upcoming class that includes Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.

An exception on Brooklyn’s roster is Michael Porter Jr., who leads the team in scoring with a career-high 24.5 points per game. However, Porter has struggled recently, averaging 19.6 points over his previous nine games before Sunday. He bounced back with 26 points against Cleveland.

“It’s the feel, the timing,” Porter told the New York Post about his slump. “My shot hadn’t felt this off in a long time. You can really lose your touch in two or three days of not playing.”

Porter missed two games before the All-Star break due to the death of his grandmother and was then snubbed for the All-Star Game, keeping him off the court. “I was paying the price for not getting in the gym,” he said.

-Field Level Media/Reuters