As the Washington Wizards buckled down on defense and shot 50 percent from the 3-point line on Monday night, the Miami Heat were unable to keep up.
The Miami Heat fell 114-103 to the Washington Wizards on Monday night, as the two teams faced off at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Although the Heat came into the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference, they certainly did not play like top dogs.
The 12-7 team could not outwork the 9-10 twelve seed on either end of the court. Between the Wizards’ pressing defensive presence and beyond the arc shooting, the Heat found themselves struggling almost the entire night. And then came the team’s ultimate downfall: a questionable call.
Miami tried to argue that Bradley Beal traveled and lost control of the ball before grabbing it again underneath the basket, with 1:10 left in the game. During this play, he passed it to Gary Neal, who then made a 3 and put Washington up by five. After that, the Heat really unraveled.
Between head coach Erik Spoelstra running on the court and gesturing in protest, and Chris Bosh getting ejected after receiving two technicals (only the second time in his entire career), the last minute or so was complete chaos.
But of course, one debatable call should not have been able to influence an entire game. By that point, Miami had already been outplayed, despite actually shooting 58 percent from the field.
Although John Wall left the floor on Sunday night with a sore knee, he looked pretty much good as new this time around. He finished as the team’s lead scorer, with 26 points and 7 assists, receiving help from the likes of Neal (21 points) and Beal (21 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists). Otto Porter Jr. was also a key factor in the Wizards’ win, with 13 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists.
Three Stars
Even though they lost, it is hard to totally discredit the Heat. After all, this was literally the only time in history that the team shot so well and still fell short.
Dwyane Wade finished things off with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Bosh totaled 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Even Goran Dragic, who had been off his game for the better part of this season so far, walked away with 20 points and 9 assists.
The bench however, did not have as stellar of a night.
The guys combined for just 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. Which for a team seemingly as deep as Miami, is hardly impressive. But just as the team’s accomplishments cannot be completely overlooked despite their loss, the bench should technically be cut a break as well; Chris Andersen, Luol Deng, Udonis Haslem, Amar’e Stoudemire and Beno Udrich were all sitting out.
Highlights
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/674050081922924544
Up Next
The Heat are on the road for four out of their next five games. They will be visiting the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, December 9 at 7 PM ET.