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Heat grow streak, beat Wizards 101-81
The Miami Heat ran their season-best winning streak to five Sunday, blowing the game open in the third quarter to beat the Washington Wizards 101-81.
Dwyane Wade scored 22 points led six Heat players in double figures as Miami broke a three-game road losing streak and held on to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat have been playing better since their lineup got healthy, and this victory was truly a communal affair. Six different players scored the first 14 points of a 31-9 run that began late in the first half and extended more than eight minutes into the third quarter. Miami shot 68 percent in the third period and led by as many as 25.
Among the many contributors: Udonis Haslem made all five of his shots in the second quarter, while Lamar Odom and Wade were a combined 6-for-7 in the third. Eddie Jones was just 2-for-9 at halftime, but he kept shooting and finished with 16 points, making five of 18 attempts.
The Heat have won by an average of 16.4 points during their winning streak.
Steve Blake scored a career-high 21 points for the Wizards, who failed yet again to get their first three-game winning streak of the season. Washington had won two straight after losing seven in a row.
The Wizards welcomed back Larry Hughes, who missed 19 games with a broken left wrist, but point guard Gilbert Arenas sprained his ankle in the first quarter and played just 22 minutes. Arenas said he expects to miss at least the first game of the upcoming six-game road trip.
Hughes' return marked just the fourth game all season that the Wizards' three leading scorers — Arenas, Hughes and Jerry Stackhouse — had played together.
But Hughes got in early foul trouble and missed his first eight shots before finishing with eight points on 3-for-14 shooting. Stackhouse and Arenas each committed four turnovers.
Kwame Brown was also quiet after two of the best games of his career. Brown had 57 points and 30 rebounds combined against Sacramento and Atlanta and scored on the game's first possession against the Heat, but he finished with just six points.
Blake scored nine points in a 16-0 run that put the Wizards ahead 29-17 early in the second quarter, but Odom scored the first two baskets in a 14-4 spurt that tied the game a few minutes later.
Haslem made a jumper and a layup to start a 12-2 run that gave the Heat a 49-40 lead at the half. The Wizards, who lead the league in turnovers, committed nine in the second quarter and had 21 for the game.
Notes:@ Miami improved to 15-7 with Wade, Jones, Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant in the starting lineup. ... The Heat improved to 9-25 on the road, where they play five of their next seven. ... Miami swept the season series 4-0. ... The Wizards are 1-19 against Atlantic Division teams. ... Hughes was activated from the injured list before the game. To make room, the Wizards placed forward Lonny Baxter on the injured list with right knee tendinitis. |
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