Dragic-Whiteside among top point guard-center combos

With Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside having their best seasons as members of the Miami Heat, it’s not a stretch to say despite a 7-14 record, the Heat possess one of the top point guard-center combinations in the game.

Dragic scored his Heat high of 29 points in Tuesday’s 114103 loss to the Knicks and added seven assists. Whiteside had 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Whiteside continues to lead the league with 14.6 rebounds while averaging 18.0 points. Dragic is seventh with 6.7 assists while averaging 17.8 points.

Dragic has had his best stretch of the season the past five games — since returning from a two-game absence because of a strained elbow — averaging 23.4 points and 9.0 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor.

“He’s re a l l y i n a g re a t groove,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ll just keep him right where he is because he’s playing as high a level as anybody. He’s making so many plays. Intensity of play is a skill and Goran has that. Every single possession he’s laying on the line.”

Whiteside leads the league in rebounds and is third in blocked shots with 2.57 per game and eighth in field-goal percentage at .558. Although he is 40th in the league in scoring, among centers he is fifth.

Among the other top point guard-center combinations:

The Clippers’ Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, Washington’s John Wall and Marcin Gortat, Boston’s Al Horford and Isaiah Thomas, Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Ricky Rubio, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas, Detroit’s Ish Smith a n d A n d re D r u mmond, Atlanta’s Dennis Schroder and Dwight Howard.

Only the Heat, Washington and the Clippers have a point guard in the top 10 in assists and a center in the top 10 in rebounding.

Dragic and Whiteside are the only combination in the top 10 in assists, rebounds and blocks.

Season-ticket pitch: The Heat are confident they’re on the right path.

Miami entered Wednesday night’s road game against the Hawks with a 7-14 record. But the Heat are hopeful their young core of Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson will continue to develop.

In an email to season-ticket holders this week, the organization used that confidence as part of its renewal pitch.

T h e e m a i l w a s t i t l e d “Where Will You Be?”

T h e m e s s a g e t o s e a - son-ticket holders begins with these words: “Where will you be the next time confetti falls from the rafters of Americ anAirlines Arena? When trophies are hoisted? When champagne flows? When memories are made? Because that’s what we’re building.”

That visual could be effective considering the Heat have won three NBA titles since 2006.

The Heat sent a letter to their season-ticket holders offering a multi-year renewal extension. The “exclusive fall membership extension option” gives season-ticket holders the ability to keep their season tickets for the next three seasons (201718, 2018-19, 2019-20) with no increase from current pricing.

The deadline to take the three-year extension option is Dec. 21. But this won’t be the only renewal option for Heat season-ticket holders. There will be a different option that features a shorter term offered to season-ticket holders this spring.