A 15-point (112-87) victory for the Miami Heat against the Washington Wizards put the Heat atop the East with an 11-5 record. Miami has now won four straight games.
Wizards
Former Florida Gator and the longest-tenured Wizard, Bradley Beal, had a team-high 30 points along with six rebounds and five assists on 61% shooting from the field.
Also, there was a little wizardry in Kyle Kuzma’s game Thursday night. Kuzma flirted with a triple-double, recording 19 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
As a team, Washington shot well – 49.4% from the field and 41.7% from three. However, the Wizards shot 60% from the free-throw line – something that needs to be fixed fast.
Heat
As a team Thursday night, Miami was very efficient. Jimmy Butler shot 58% from the field, recording 32 points, three rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
In addition, Bam Adebayo shot 56% on 20 points along with nine rebounds. Furthermore, P.J. Tucker made all three of his three-point attempts. Tucker shot 86% from the field, racking up 15 points with five rebounds.
Kyle Lowry, like most of his performances this season, did not rack up a whole lot of points. However, the veteran’s presence was felt as the floor manager; Lowry had 12 assists in the win.
It was also a very impressive night from Gabe Vincent off the bench. Vincent scored a season-high 18 points and made three three-pointers. Vincent also had potentially his first-ever NBA dunk.
Gabe Vincent: “It definitely was my first career dunk.”
Bam Adebayo on Gabe Vincent: “He got a dunk. I said what the f*ck. He comes out with the brace and wanna dunk.”
Vincent is currently averaging 15.5 PPG on 45% FG (50% 3PFG) over his last two games.
A FUNNY Quote from the Game
Jimmy Butler on hearing the MVP chants: “I don’t need any of that. We need a championship here.”
What’s Next?
The Miami Heat will play these same Wizards on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM.