Despite their 16-point lead getting cut to four with 31 seconds left in the game, the Miami Heat withstood a late rally by the Washington Wizards and held onto their second straight win with Friday night's 110-102 result.
Game Ball: Kevin Love
In only 15 minutes, Kevin Love finished with a double-double recording 13 points and 10 rebounds. But beyond the stat sheet, Love played a near perfect game with his decision making and emphasis on pushing the pace after securing a rebound.
Love was also in the game when the Heat made their third-quarter run and was a huge factor in why Miami entered the fourth quarter with an 87-74 lead after trailing most of the game. During that stretch, Love took advantage of mismatches and scored in the post, hit a 3-pointer and assisted Tyler Herro on a 3-point basket before the third quarter ended.
During their losing streak, the Heat were struggling to find good relief minutes when Bam Adebayo was off the court, but performances such as tonight from Love will go a long way in keeping Adebayo's minutes controlled as much as possible in anticipation of another deep playoff run.
What we learned: Terry Rozier's impact being felt despite shooting slump
Since being traded to the Heat, Terry Rozier has only shot 50% in one of his six games in uniform. On Friday night, Rozier struggled to find his shot, shooting 2 for 13 from the floor.
But Rozier impacted the game in other areas, mainly with his ability to get to the basket and draw fouls or find players rolling to the basket off a screen.
Rozier attacked the basket often and was rewarded with 11 free throw attempts. He was perfect from the line. Most notably, he made four clutch free throws in the final 24 seconds to help the Heat hold onto the win.
Rozier made it clear that he's not in Miami to step on anybody's toes, and with six games into his Heat tenure, Rozier is beginning to show the impact he can make offensively. The next step for Rozier is to make good looks when the opportunity is there.
Highlight of the Night: Rozier pulls a move from his favorite player
With older tweets being found by Heat Nation and also being one of the players to receive an in-game jersey during his farewell tour, it's well known that Terry Rozier's favorite player is none other than the greatest Heat player of all time: Dwyane Wade.
Like every basketball fan along with players in today's game, Rozier witnessed and studied the marvelous ways Wade finished at the rim. And In the third quarter with Miami up 72-71, Rozier pulled a page out of Wade's book to get past Tyus Jones and finish at the basket.
Although the finish isn't a mirror image of prime Wade (nine times out of 10, Wade would have finished with a ferocious slam), it is a full circle moment to see Rozier pull off a move that his favorite player used to do while in a Heat jersey.