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Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal was stopped in his tracks by the Miami Heat on Friday night. Heading to the encounter with a league-high average of 34.8 points per game, Beal had a hard time gaining momentum and only managed to come out with seven measly points.
After the game, Washington's two-time All-Star admitted that the Heat players made his life harder after throwing different defensive schemes in a bid to contain him all throughout the tilt.
“I’m human,” Beal said via the Miami Herald. “Every human being is due for a bad day. They made it tough. They double-, triple-teamed a lot. A lot of shots I had, I didn’t love them. They did a really good job of defending.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra decided to experiment with a new starting lineup and opted to begin the game with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, Kelly Olynyk, and Duncan Robinson on the floor. It may have played a pivotal role in their good showing against Washington as the Heat immediately got off to a strong 40-27 start in the first quarter.
The Heat continued on their rampage as they proved to be effective on both ends of the floor. The team's great defensive effort caused Beal to start the game with an 0/13 clip from the field. After capitalizing on their opponents' shooting woes, Spoelstra and his men ultimately dominated their opponents en route to a 122-95 victory.
Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook Beal already topped his team in scoring with just 13 points followed by Rui Hachimura who added 12 points of his own. Beal was only limited to tally seven points, three rebounds, and three assists in 27 minutes of action.
After absorbing the loss, Washington eventually dropped to a 5-14 record for the 14th spot in the Eastern Conference while Miami is not much far ahead with an 8-14 tally to nab 13th place.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks will have to make a bevy of adjustments as they aim to get back in the win column when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 7.
