Miami Heat look to stop bleeding, travel to Washington to face Wizards
By Ehsan Kassim
Preview of the Miami Heat’s matchup against the Washington Wizards.
Heat (23-19) @ Wizards(19-21)
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
When: Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 PM EST
Watch: FS-SUN, NBA League Pass
The six-game road trip was supposed to bring the team together. Instead, between injuries and rumors about Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh questioning their teammates maturity, it was an all-around disaster for the Miami Heat.
The team returned home on Tuesday night to face the Bucks and hoped to turn their fortunes around. Unfortunately, the team came out extremely flat and saw Dwyane Wade muster only two points in 21 minutes of play. The Bucks blew the Heat out and the team is back on the road to face the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for the Heat, it does not look like they are going to get healthier on Wednesday, as Goran Dragic, Josh McRoberts, and Beno Udrih are all likely to miss the contest with their various injuries.
The 2015-2016 season has been a disappointment for the Wizards, as they enter January 20th two games under .500 for the season. The team has been extremely streaky on the season, as they come into this contest losers of two straight, that after winning four in a row prior to this losing streak.
Matchup to Watch: John Wall vs Tyler Johnson
With Goran Dragic and Beno Udrih likely out again Wednesday against the Wizards, Tyler Johnson will be tasked to start against John Wall and have the unfortunate assignment of guarding him. Johnson is coming off a poor performance against the Bucks on Tuesday and will look to bounce back.
John Wall is averaging 20.0 points, 9.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on 43 percent shooting on the season. Wall is shooting a career best 35 percent from three this season. Wall struggled against the Heat in their January 3rd matchup, scoring just 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting.
The Heat will need Wall to have a similar game to that one in order for them to be able to pull off the victory against the Wiz.
X-Factor: Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade scored 2 points on 1-6 shooting from the field on Tuesday night. If you have followed Wade’s Hall of Fame career, you know that’s an atypical night. Wade has played with an injured shoulder of late and was limited to 21 minutes Tuesday night.
Hopefully the rest in a blow out game will do Wade well, as he will need to have a bounce back game to lead the Heat against the Wizards. Goran Dragic will be out again, meaning the Heat backcourt will be at a severe disadvantage against a John Wall-Bradley Beal backcourt.
Last time these two team’s matched up on January 3rd, Wade scored just 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting, in a Heat 22-point victory. Dragic played well in that game, but won’t be available for this game.
Key Stats (Stats from before Heat-Bucks game):
Miami Heat offensive efficiency: 17th, 102.0 points per 100 possessions
Miami Heat defensive efficiency: 5th, 99.7 points per 100 possessions
Washington Wizards offensive efficiency: 14th, 102.3 points allowed per 100 possessions
Washington Wizards defensive efficiency: T-19th, 104.2 points allowed per 100 possessions