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Despite the starters playing a good chunk of the game, the Miami Heat were defeated, 101-94, by the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
Miami jumped out to a commanding 14-point halftime lead, but fell apart in the second half, scoring just 33 points. The Heat were outscored in the fourth quarter, 28-16, falling behind for good on a Brian Cook layup with 3:53 left.
Miami got strong performances from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who scored 23 and 18 points. LeBron James played a lackluster 29 minutes by his standards, scoring 13 points and turning the ball over five times. The Heat bench besides Ray Allen was a disaster, as the group combined for a minus-89.
Washington was led by Martell Webster, who poured in 23 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Chris Singleton and Jannero Pargo also scored in double figures off the bench for the Wizards.
Miami fell to 4-3 on the preseason. The defending champs face Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Hornets in their final tune-up before the regular season starts.