The Heat visit the Wizards in Washington D.C., tonight at 7:00 ET. Miami looks to start another winning streak, and Washington tries to just win a game.
Behind a 2nd quarter scoring outburst by Dwyane Wade, the visiting Miami Heat have taken a ten point lead in Friday night's game against the Washington Wizards, 52-42. Wade had 14 points in the period and has 18 for the half; he provided a 2nd quarter spark with a myriad of jumpers and driving layups.
Wade combined with LeBron James on two spectacular alley-oop dunks in the 2nd period; the second one, Wade lofted behind his head as he drove to the basket to a seemingly empty area before James flew into the scene with a thunderous slam. James and Chris Bosh each had 10 points in the half.
Nick Young and JaVale McGee led the Wizards with 13 points apiece. John Wall had a rough first half, ending it on 1 for 6 shooting and only 2 points; however, he does have 6 assists.
The Wizards had a first half that was emblematic of their season thus far: it was littered with many spectacularly athletic plays but often the most simplest of passes, catches, and shots couldn't be executed. On one exchange, the Wizards Trevor Booker caught a pass for an alley-oop without any defenders close to him, but he fumbled the pass and lost it out of bounds.
What to look for in the second half: The Heat are playing much more efficiently and effectively then they have in recent games. But limiting John Wall in the second half is going to be the biggest impetus going forward. Mario Chalmers, Wade, and Lebron have switched off on multiple possessions when guarding him. How their defense holds up in the 2nd half might prove pivotal to the outcome of the game.
The Miami Heat visit the Washington Wizards Friday night, and begin a four-day schedule that also features games at the Atlanta Hawks, Sunday, and at the Milwaukee Bucks, Monday. All the contest are a part of a six-game road trip for the Eastern Conference's second place team.
Entering Friday's game, Miami has won 11 of the next 14 but had its three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday at the Orlando Magic, 102-89.
However, the Miami should be able to get back on track against the Wizards, who they've beaten more than any other NBA franchise (66 wins).
On Sunday, Miami plays the Hawks, who has a 1-1 record against the Heat this season.
On Monday, the Heat will try to beat the Bucks for the first time this year, as they've already dropped two games to Milwaukee.
Here's a composite schedule of the next few games:
Friday, Feb. 10: at Washington Wizards (7 p.m. ET)
Sun., Feb. 12: at Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. on ESPN)
Mon., Feb. 13: Milwaukee Bucks (8 p.m.)
For more on the Miami Heat, visit the SB Nation blog Peninsula Is Mightier.
Common Thread:
Heat forward Juwan Howard played 462 games over seven seasons with the Bullets/Wizards. He averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes per game, making the all-star game in 1996.
Miami forward Mike Miller played 54 games for Washington in 2009-10, averaging 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes per game.
Heat Milestones:
With 30 minutes tonight, Udonis Haslem will move past Glen Rice into third all-time with 17,060.
Three more 3-pointers will move James Jones into 13th, passing James Posey with 215.
Two more assists will move LeBron James past Rory Sparrow into 14th all-time, with 728. 12 more points for LeBron will move him into 14th, passing Jamal Mashburn with 2,836.
One more block from Udonis Haslem will give him 185, passing Brian Grant into 11th.
Heat Leaders:
PPG:
LeBron James - 28.5
Dwyane Wade - 22.0
Chris Bosh - 19.2
RPG:
LeBron James, Udonis Haslem - 8.2
Chris Bosh - 7.8
APG:
LeBron James - 6.9
Dwyane Wade - 5.1
Mario Chalmers - 3.9
SPG:
Dwyane Wade - 1.9
LeBron James - 1.8
Mario Chalmers - 1.4
BPG:
Dwyane Wade - 1.5
Joel Anthony - 1.0
Chris Bosh - 0.8
The Miami Heat visit the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center in the Chinatown district of Washinton D.C. tonight. This is the first of three contests to be played between the two clubs this season, and the first of two in Washington. Miami is playing in the second game of a six game road trip. They lost their first game, 102-89 to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, and go on to face the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers before finishing up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Washington is finishing up a four game homestand. They lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 107-81 on Saturday, beat the Toronto Raptors in overtime, 111-108 on Monday, and lost to the New York Knicks, 107-93 on Wednesday. After tonight's game, they hit the road for a five game road trip, starting against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Washington has a 4-11 home record, Miami is 7-5 on the road.
These teams are playing each other for the first time this season. They last played on March 30th of last season, with the Heat winning, 123-107. LeBron James led Miami with 35 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Dwyane Wade pitched in with 33 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and Chris Bosh had 26 points and eight rebounds, as the three combined to shoot 31-of-48 from the field, a 65 percent clip. Washington was led by Jordan Crawford, who scored a game high 39 points. Maurice Evans scored 21 for the Wizards. A second quarter altercation led to the ejections of the Wizards' John Wall and Miami's Zydrunas Ilglauskas and Juwan Howard. Chris Bosh remarked when asked about the fight, according to NBA.COM,
"I didn't see anything. I was sitting down. I was biting my nails or something on the bench."
Miami vs Washington NBA Highlights 03/30/11 (via bballfansite)
Miami is coming off a 102-89 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday behind a monster game courtesy of Dwight Howard, who scored 25 points along with 24 rebounds. Ryan Anderson also had a good night, scoring 27 while grabbing 11 boards. Miami was led by Dwyane Wade, who scored 33 points with three blocks. LeBron James scored 17 with 10 assists and six rebounds in the loss. Orlando connected on 17-of-42 three point attempts, causing Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to quip, according to NBA.COM,
"Obviously the amount of 3s they were able to take and make really made the difference in the game."
Miami Heat Vs Orlando Magic 2-8-12 Highlights HD (via MsGeneration88)
The Wizards lost a 107-93 game to the New York Knicks on Wednesday. The Knicks were playing without their two biggest stars, as Carmelo Anthony sat with a strained groin and Amare Stoudamire was out for personal reasons. They weren't needed, as Tyson Chandler scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, Jeremy Lin scored 23 with 10 assists, and three other players scored over 16 to give New York the edge. John Wall led the Wizards with 29 points and six assists. Jeremy Lin tossed down the first dunk of his NBA career in the third quarter. Tyson Chandler talked with the press later, according to NBA.COM,
"I didn't know he could dunk. When he's going in for the dunk I'm like 'no Jeremy, just lay the ball up.' And all of a sudden he dunks it and I was probably just as excited as the crowd was."
New York Knicks Vs Washington Wizards 2-8-12 Highlights HD (via MsGeneration88)
Standings:
Miami Heat: 19-7, first in the Southeast Division, second in the Eastern Conference, third in the NBA. on pace for a 48-18 record. Last five games: L-W-W-W-L
Washington Wizards: 5-21, fourth in the Southeast Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference, 28th in the NBA, on pace for a 13-53 record. Last five games: L-L-L-W-L
Season Series: 0-0
All-Time Series: Miami, 66-28
Gametime: 7:00 ET
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Miami Heat Thump The Washington Wizards 106-89
The Big 3 led a scoring barrage against the Washington Wizards, combining for 68 points, and beating the host team 106-89 on Friday night's game. Led by a balanced effort from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Heat pulled away from the Washington Wizards in the second half and never looked back.
LeBron James has 18 points and 9 assists, Dwyane Wade had 26 points, and Chris Bosh broke out of a two week slump with a double-double, 24 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wizards showed why they were once regarded as a young, promising team, showing flashes of the talent that held them in high regard. JaVale McGee led his team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Nick Young had 22 points, and John Wall bounced back from a tough first half with 15 point and 10 assists.
The game featured a variety of high flying dunks and thunderous slams from the Heat and Wizards alike. Wade and James combined for two amazing alley-oops in the second quarter. One of them is shown below:
Dwayne Wade & LeBron James Amazing Alley-oop vs Wizards [2.10.12] (via CakesBerry)
Shane Battier provided key shots throughout the contest and finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds and a +26 plus-minus stat.
Next up: The Heat take on the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at 7:00 PM EST.
Feb 10 10:01p by William Mueller