Riding stellar performances from Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro, the Miami Heat were able to get back to .500 at 4-4. This came due to a squeak out win over the lifeless Washington Wizards who continue their downward spiral at 2-8.
Coming Onto The Court
Prior to the game tonight, the dreadful Wizards were without their two best players, guards Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal due to injuries. The Heat, meanwhile, had their full roster available, injury free.
Game Recap
In the first quarter, it was the Heat jumping out with a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. However, throughout, the Wizards were closely following with the Heat, cutting the lead to one late in the first. The Heat, however stayed cool and led by three at the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Wizards, they also lost starting center Thomas Bryant to an injury early on.
A similar situation occurred in the second with the Heat leading, but not by a wide margin. The Wizards even took a two-point lead near the six-minute mark. However, that lead did not last long. The Heat took control for the rest of the quarter before unleashing domination in the third.
The Heat led by as much as 17 in the third and increased it to a 24 point lead to open up the fourth. Despite that, the Wizards would shockingly not die out, despite their short handedness. They rallied to the end of the game, but it was not enough as Miami walked away with a 128-124 win.
Takeaways
The Heat lived on the backs of their two biggest stars on Saturday Night, with 31 from Tyler Herro and a near triple-double from Jimmy Butler (26 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists). For the Wizards, they did pretty good considering they had some key and major injuries. Rookie Deni Avdija was valuable throughout the game.