The Miami Heat have prevented another possible losing streak with their 152-136 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday afternoon. The Wizards are viewed as one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference with their 17-60 record and No. 15 standing. The Heat advance to 41-37.
For the Heat, Jaime Jaquez Jr. was the leading scorer with 32 points. He continues his strong season as one of the best bench players in the entire NBA. This performance could help his odds for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Behind him in terms of scoring was another bench player in Kel'el Ware, who scored 24 points who added an impressive stat line of 19 rebounds and eight blocks. He also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. Andrew Wiggins followed them with 21 points. This is his first game surpassing the 20-point marker since returning to the lineup on March 23. He missed eight games due to a toe injury.
Miami ran with a 11-man rotation, given the Heat were in control for almost the entire game. As a team, the Heat shot 58 percent from the field, 44 percent from three-point range and 79 percent from the free throw line. Jaquez, Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis led the team in minutes. The Heat outscored Washington in each of the first three quarters with the Wizards outscoring in the fourth. However, the lead was too much for Washington to overcome. Tyler Herro missed today's game due to personal reasons and Norman Powell was also absent due to an illness. The All-Star has missed the last four games.
For the Wizards, rookie Will Riley led the team in scoring with 31 points. The team is mostly built through young players and the Heat entered today's game as heavy favorites. With this win, the Heat are one win away from officially sweeping their Southeast division counterparts as they have won each of their three meetings this season. They still have one more game against Washington scheduled for Apr. 10.
The Heat are the No. 10 seed in the East. Miami will next travel to take on the 43-34 Toronto Raptors on both Tuesday and Thursday night.
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