Miami Heat grind out 119-107 victory over the Washington Wizards
Terry Rozier III tallied 27 points, while Bam Adebayo contributed 22 as the Miami Heat secured a hard-fought 119-107 win against the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.
Jimmy Butler chipped in 17 points for the Heat, who clinched their second consecutive victory. Miami, currently placed seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, showcased strong performance from the free-throw line, converting 25 out of 29 attempts, narrowing the gap with Indiana by half a game in the race to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.
For the Wizards, Jordan Poole notched 22 points and Marvin Bagley III recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, compensating for the absence of their top scorer Kyle Kuzma, who sat out due to a bruised right heel. Anthony Gill matched his career high with 18 points for the Wizards, who suffered their third consecutive loss following a promising three-game winning streak.
Miami capitalized on a 24-7 run spanning halftime, sinking seven 3-pointers, which accounted for half of their total makes in the game, to seize control. Rozier capped off the run with two successive 3-pointers just before halftime, extending the Heat’s lead to 66-59, their largest advantage up to that point.
Duncan Robinson added two more 3-pointers early in the third quarter, and with additional contributions from Rozier and Jovic, the Heat widened their lead to 78-62.
In the fourth quarter, Butler’s five consecutive points, including a dunk off a back-door cut and a three-point play, helped the Heat regain control with a 112-97 lead, following a brief resurgence from the Wizards that had trimmed the deficit to 10 points.
