Coach Erik Spoelstra anticipates a fired-up Wizards squad, fueled by a past historic scoring outburst, as the Miami Heat fight for playoff positioning.
Only five games left on the regular-season schedule and the Miami Heat are playing for something meaningful, positioning within the Eastern Conference standings. They currently sit at the 10-seed with a 40-37 record. The team prepares to face the Washington Wizards on Saturday, who have virtually nothing to play for. However, the previous matchup might have left a sour taste in their mouth.
On March 10, Bam Adebayo scored 83 points against the Wizards, the second-highest scoring performance in league history. There was some controversy behind it, specifically with the high volume of free throws attempted. The three-time All-Star mentioned not needing any extra motivation for the matchup, but coach Erik Spoelstra expects extra competitiveness from the Wizards.
“I’m sure there will be [a different approach from Washington],” he told reporters on Friday. “We’re playing all of our games expecting that teams are going to bring their best and hopefully that brings out a better level in us. Right now, I just absolutely love the spirit and intentions of the group. We all know that we have to play better, particularly as everybody’s raising their level and so be it. Washington will probably be motivated, more so than a normal game. We still play them twice, but we’re not looking for help from anybody. This is up to us right now. What we want to do, what we want to accomplish, it’s in our ability and our power.”
Following Saturday’s matchup, the Heat will face the Wizards on Friday, April 10, in the nation’s capital.
In the last outing, Adebayo hardly faced any double-teams until the final minutes of the 83-point performance. He set a new league record in free throws made and attempted, going 36 of 43.
It’s unlikely another historic performance of that magnitude will occur anytime soon, but the Heat will need to handle their own business for a fighting chance to climb back up in the standings. They’re currently behind the Orlando Magic, who own the tie-breaker and are coming off a 138-127 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Following the Wizards game, the team will embark on a three-game road trip, two matchups against the Toronto Raptors, and then end in Washington, D.C.
The Eastern Conference standings will be a race to the finish, but the Heat are on pace for a fourth consecutive Play-In Tournament appearance. However, nothing is official until it’s official.
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