Young Wizards falter against seasoned Heat. A glimpse of potential shines through, but inexperience clearly shows in another lopsided defeat.
The Washington Wizards, once again, were simply outmatched by the Miami Heat, losing 132-101 on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
After losing both games on a back-to-back, Washington now occupies the fourth worst record in the NBA at 14-38.
To nobody's surprise, Washington was without newly acquired Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum and D'Angelo Russell. It may take a while for Washington to see any of these players on the court, as Davis is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Exum and Russell may possibly get released. Hardy is likely to make his Washington debut sooner than the others.
Washington was also without Trae Young, who is still nursing an MCL and quad injury, but is expected to make his Wizards debut after the All-Star break. Rookie guard Tre Johnson III missed another game as he is still rehabbing an ankle sprain that he suffered on January 26 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Washington's youth once again had an opportunity to display their talents -- some players succeeded, some didn't.
Tristan Vukcevic was one of Washington's loan bright spots today, as he scored 14 points, on 5/11 FG, 4/5 3FG and five rebounds in 20 minutes. Vukcevic continues to display his sharpshooting ability from the center position.
Rookie Jamir Watkins played a game high 33 minutes in today's contest, and showed out in that time, scoring 12 points on 5/10 FG, 1/4 3FG while hauling in seven rebounds and picking up three stocks. Watkins continues to impress with his high basketball IQ and defensive motor.
The 2024-25 rookie trio of Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George had solid games, as they combined for 38 points in 74 total minutes of action. The trio continues to improve each day, as they are stepping into larger roles with the departures of CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton.
For Miami, they had production all across the board, as they saw seven players record double digit points, with three of them touching 20 or more points.
Bam Adebayo and rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis led Miami with 22 points a piece, with Norman Powell being a close second with 21 points.
Miami's experience was simply too much for Washington in this one.
After losing back-to-back games on back-to-back days, Washington will have a full two days of rest until they are back in action on February 8, 2026 where they'll take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road at 7:00 PM ET.