The Miami Heat extend their losing streak to three as they fall to the Washington Wizards inside the Kaseya Center Sunday night, 110-108. Washington came into this game being tied for the least amount of wins in the entire NBA with 10, but still beat Miami.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 23 points, Bam Adebayo had 16 points with 16 rebounds, Terry Rozier had 16 points, and you guessed it, Duncan Robinson had 16 points. For the Wizards, everyone of their starters had double-digits led by Kyle Kuzma who had 32 points.
Here is a look at each half included with three takeaways as the Heat lost to the pesky Wizards, taking the season series to 2-1:
A back-and-forth first half
While their record might say differently, the Wizards played the Heat hard in the opening period as they entered the second quarter only down two points. Washington shot 40.9 percent from the field while getting to the free throw line and making four of five attempts.
As for Miami, they shot 46.2 percent from the field and only made two of their six attempts from three-point range. After struggling Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Adebayo had an exceptional start as he had eight points and nine rebounds in the first quarter.
The second half saw the Heat control the game a lot more than the even battle in the first, but the Wizards were a pest as they won't back down despite what each team's record is. At one point, the Heat led by as much as 1o points, but the Wizards would find a little run of their own.
Miami would lead by six at halftime after a solid period by the team's new addition in Patty Mills as he scored seven points making three of his five shots with one being from deep. The Heat shot better in the second quarter as they were 57.1 percent from the field compared to the Wizards with 45.5 percent. Now that they found their footing, the second half seems like a prime spot for Miami to trail away.
Second half a blur negatively for the Heat
The Wizards continue to be pesky in the second half as going into the final period, the Heat were only up one to a team that has only 10 wins on the season. This isn't a rarity for Washington as in the past two times they faced Miami, it was never a blowout game.
Kuzma started to heat up for the Wizards in the third quarter as he scored 11 third quarter points, getting to the free throw line, making five of seven from the charity stripe. Butler would score eight points in this quarter, but the team needs to perform to their strengths in the final period.
Spoiler alert, they didn't. It was all a blur for the Heat as they say their already small lead heading into the final period diminish as the Wizards at one point put the home team into a 10-point hole. However, Miami would fight back making it a two-point game as they had the final shot to either tie or win the contest.
The shot went into Duncan Robinson who missed a three-pointer, but Butler got the offensive rebound, but opted for the win instead of the tie, but missed it. Butler was 0-3 from three-point range before then. Miami would lose the game, making it arguably the worst loss of the season.
Full sequence as the Miami Heat fall to the Washington Wizards, 110-108. Went for the win, even after Butler got the offensive rebound. #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/0taFnfG1Ol
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 11, 2024
NBA Finals rematch Wednesday with bad momentum
The schedule doesn't get any easier as their next game will be Wednesday in the second and final contest against the Denver Nuggets in an NBA Finals rematch. The hope was to at least get a win under your belt before taking on an exceptional team like the Nuggets, but the Wizards had other plans.
Despite Miami missing players like Tyler Herro and Kevin Love, this was still a dreadful loss that will keep fans and most likely the Heat organization up at night. In an already tightly packed Eastern Conference, a loss like this hurts the team's chances at solidifying position.
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