Down by 10 points with 4:42 remaining in the game? At that point, it could be very tempting to already start thinking about the next game on the schedule. Especially when you are down 10 points to a Miami Heat team, who defeated you by 15 points this past Thursday. But the Wizards didn’t do that. They mentally stayed in the game and made key plays down the stretch in order to get back in the win column.
Miami had a 94-84 lead with 4:42 remaining in the game. From that moment on, they would only score 4 more points as Washington went on their run. The play that changed the momentum of the game for the Wizards was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 4 point play that cut Miami’s lead to 6 with 4:17 remaining in the game. The crowd got hyped, and the players started to believe that a comeback was indeed possible.
Spencer Dinwiddie and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stepped up big time for the Wizards, as both players shot 100% from the field in the 4th quarter. Caldwell-Pope hit a three to tie the game with 2:15 remaining in the game. With under two minutes left in the game, Dinwiddie hit a three to give the Wizards a 99-96 lead.
Once the Wizards grabbed the lead late in the fourth quarter, they never relinquished it. Miami threatened to make a run late, but Kyle Kuzma was able to close the game out with a couple of clutch free throws. Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards with 21 points and 9 assists. Spencer Dinwiddie and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both scored 16 points. Deni Avdija had a nice all-around game with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 26 minutes.
With a 103-100 win over the Miami Heat, the Wizards are now the second seed in the Eastern Conference with an 11-5 record.