The Miami Heat dominated the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital. (Mandatory Credit: Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images)
After a slow start in the first quarter, the Miami Heat blew past the tanking Washington Wizards with a 132-101 in a Sunday afternoon affair inside Capital One Arena.
The Wizards jumped out to a quick start, owning a 29-21 lead with 3:40. The Heat quickly flipped the script, ending the opening quarter on a 16-4 run while outscoring their East counterpart 95-68 the final three quarters.
Heat star Bam Adebayo tallied a team-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, with eight rebounds, three assists and five steals across 28 minutes. For the first time in over a month, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra deployed Adebayo alongside second-year center Kel’el Ware.
Ware and Adebayo have struggled for much of the season, posting a minus-6.6 NET across 266 minutes. Well, in 15 minutes that the two shared the floor, Ware and Adebayo were a plus-29, according to PBP Stats.
The Heat’s rising star was outstanding; Ware finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting, one of his best games since the New Year, where he consistently played with the energy and effort we know he’s capable of doing.
Norman Powell, who was named a participant to the 3-point contest, had 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Simone Fontecchio added 12 points and three steals; Andrew Wiggins posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double across 23 minutes.
Kasparas Jakucionis scored a career-high 22 points on 6-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. He had three rebounds, six dimes plus a pair of steals in 26 minutes.
Miami shot 47.1 percent from the floor and 21-of-47 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Wizards, led by Alex Sarr’s 12-point, 12-rebound double-double, shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
No Wizards player scored more than 14 points in the losing effort.
The Heat’s dominant performance marks their fifth 30-point win of the season. They now move to 28-26, while the Wizards drop to 14-38.
With no Heat starter playing more than 28 minutes, they were able to get some much-needed rest ahead of the Monday’s back-to-back against the Utah Jazz, their penultimate game ahead of the All-Star break.
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