Victory at a cost for Miami as Whiteside injures finger

Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside (21) dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in Miami. The Heat won 112-97. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Hassan Whiteside delivered a 23-point double-double to help Miami beat Phoenix on Tuesday but suffered a hand injury which cast a shadow over the victory.

Heat center Whiteside was outstanding as the Heat battled to a 112-97 win over the Suns to improve to 35-36 and remain in contention for a playoff berth from the Eastern Conference.

But Whiteside, who set two team records with his display, was forced to leave the game late in the fourth quarter after an attempted block of a Marquese Chriss shot left him nursing a nasty cut on his middle finger.

Whiteside later received 13 stitches in the wound, placing a question mark on his availability at a crucial time of the season.

Miami, who face Toronto on Thursday, are already without injured guard Dion Waiters, who missed Tuesday’s game following an ankle sprain.

“Hassan, we’ll find out,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ll know more (Wednesday). Those minutes that he played, he was extremely impactful.”

The Heat took control of Tuesday’s game after a 21-3 run in the second quarter, with Wayne Ellington fueling the points spree with three consecutive three-pointers.

Tyler Johnson’s layup with 3:21 remaining helped give the Heat a 52-39 lead.

Phoenix closed to five points at 61-54 in the third period but Miami reeled off 13 points to wrest back the initiative.

The win, combined with Detroit’s loss at Brooklyn, means Miami at 35-36 are one game ahead of the Pistons for eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

Whiteside meanwhile surpassed former Heat center Rony Seikaly to claim two Miami records, with 936 career rebounds, to beat Seikaly’s previous mark of 934. His 13th consecutive double-double also beat Seikaly’s 12 in 1991-92.