The Heat take on the Wizards
Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo worked up a good sweat before tip-off versus the Wizards.
On Sunday, February 8th, the Miami Heat touched down in the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards. The Heat have had an up and down season. They came in having gone 2-3 in their last 5 games. The Wizards were 1-5 during the same span. Many people had thought that the Heat would try to make a move to add a piece before the trade deadline, but they stood pat. The Wizards, on the other hand, were aggressive and swung for the fences.
They landed Anthony Davis in an 8 player deal. Davis was clearly brought in to pair with former Hawk Tray Young to form a new duo in DC. There’s some optimism surrounding the future of the franchise for the first time in a long time. The veteran presence should surely help the Wizards’ young core grow into what the franchise sees for these guys. AD and Young are both nursing injuries, and it’s unclear if they will see the floor this season.
It’s hard to tell what the Heat’s plans are for this season and beyond. It seems as if they’ve been in a holding pattern for quite some time. Some of their young guys have been linked to every trade in the book. It was thought they were making a run for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but per usual, nothing materialized. The Heat have been named in every major trade rumor over the last few years, but their roster remains mostly unchanged. Heat President Pat Riley has been lauded over the years as a top executive, but to be frank, he’s been living off his reputation. The Heat haven’t made significant moves since LeBron James came to town. That move was orchestrated by the trio of Wade, James, and Bosh. So, can we really give Pat Riley credit for it?
Jimmy Butler’s stint flamed out after he didn’t get the money he thought he deserved. Rookie Kasparov Jakucionis has been playing well lately and has been showing signs of being a guy in this league. Star big, Bam Adebayo, and wing Norman Powell have remained steady and are driving the bus for the franchise. The Heat have been without Tyler Hero, and they could really use his presence on the court. Who knows what the future holds for this team, but their fan base has grown impatient with the direction of the team.
The Wizards jumped on the Heat immediately from the tip off. They got downhill and got the ball into the paint and scored almost at will. Wizards wing Kyshawn George started off strong. He went 3 for 3, with his first 2 makes coming from 3. Alex Sarr came soaring through the paint to get a lob from Bub Carrington for his first make of the game. He started out 3 for 3 as well. Things were looking promising for the Wizards. Midway through the first, the Wizards went to the bench, and things quickly deteriorated from there. The Heat fought back and got hot from the field around the 4 min mark. They were down 21-29 and finished the first quarter up 37-33. The Wizards wouldn’t lead again for the remainder of the game.
The 2nd quarter was more of the same from both teams. The Wizards’ young core went ice cold from the field, and the Heat quickly increased their lead to 39-57 with 8 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. It’s amazing how quickly things can get out of hand in an NBA game. There is immense talent in the league, and some incredible athletes are playing the game today. Bam had arguably the play of the game, where he posterized his own teammate on a putback dunk (see here). He put the Heat up 68 to 52 with 2:25 left in the half. Justin Champaigne and Bub Carrington shot decently in the 2nd quarter. They took a combined 6 shots, while George and Sarr accounted for the bulk, going a combined 2 for 12 from the field.
The Heat, on the other hand, shot a combined 51.9 percent from the field as a team. They took 23 shots from beyond the arc, making 11 (47.8%) of them. Adebayo went 5 for 7 from the field while Kel’el Ware went 3 for 5. Ware was able to get into the paint and do damage off of a 2nd chance rebound, an alley oop from Jaquez, and a nice turnaround hook shot in the paint. Bam killed the Wizards down low as well, scoring all but 3 of his 12 second-quarter points from the paint. The Heat headed into the half with a 74 to 52 lead.
The 2nd half was more of the same from both teams. The Heat continued to pressure the Wizards into bad shots and turnovers. They went up 92-61 with 6:25 left in the 3rd. The Wiz found a little life and began to push back, after a bit of a run and a 3 pointer by Wizards Tristan Vukcevic. The Heat called a timeout to slow the momentum. The Wizards got it to 73 to 95 with 3:35 left to play. The timeout worked, and the Heat came back out refocused and finished the 3rd quarter up 107-75. With about 10 mins left in the 4th and the game clearly in hand, the Heat went to their bench and let them finish the game out. The Heat wound up taking home the win, 132 to 101.
