The Washington Wizards returned home on Friday night to battle the Miami Heat. Washington hoped to take advantage of some home cooking as they played the second game of a four-game homestand.
The Wizards started strong and led at the break, 59-56; However, they fell apart in the third, and the Heat would hold on to defeat Washington 110-102.
After winning two straight, the Wizards (9-39) have now dropped straight. Following their seven-game losing streak, the Heat (26-23) have won two in a row.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Wizards’ loss to the Heat.
Great:
Corey Kispert tallied a season and game-high 26 points, including a season-high six threes off the bench. Kispert has now topped 20-plus points in four outings this season.
Jordan Poole, a late scratch on Wednesday night against the Clippers, had 16 points and a season-high 10 assists, four rebounds, two steals, and one block for his first double-double of the season.
Not So Great:
Rebounding: The Wizards got beat up on the glass on Friday night. They were outrebounded 59-43. The Heat had 19 second-chance points.
Third Quarter: Washington had a three-point lead at halftime, but they will look back at their performance and point to the third quarter for the reason why they lost. The game was tied at 68 with just over five minutes to go in the third, and the Heat outscored the Wizards 19-6 to take an 87-74 lead into the fourth. Washington shot only 21% from the field and was outscored 31-15 in the quarter.
Three-point shooting: Washington struggled from behind the arc; they shot 11/42 (26%) from three-point range.
Bottom Line:
To the Wizards’ credit, they battled in this game. The Heat had their largest lead of 16 in the fourth, but the Wizards closed the gap, and Poole had a shot to cut the lead to three with 31.1 seconds to go, but he missed the second of two free throws.
Washington got the start and maybe the finish they wanted, but again, that third quarter was a killer for this team.
What’s Next?
Washington continues their four-game homestand on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.
Best of the Rest:
Daniel Gafford had 11 points (4-8 FG) and a team-best 14 rebounds, Deni Avdija totaled 15 points and eight rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma added 13.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 24 points and nine rebounds, and Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 14 rebounds.
Marvin Bagley III (Low back contusion) missed Friday’s game against the Heat.
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