Wizards hold off Heat rally in 99-97 victory
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nene scored 20 points, Marcin Gorat added 14 points and 17 rebounds and the Washington Wizards blew all but one point of a 35-point lead before holding off the short-handed Miami Heat 99-97 on Friday night.
Miami had a chance to take its first lead, but Henry Walker’s corner 3 rimmed out with 5.9 seconds left and Nene snared the rebound.
Bradley Beal made one of two free throws with 1.6 seconds left. Miami inbounded after a timeout, but time expired before Michael Beasley’s jumper — which fell short — left his hands
Beal added 17 points for the Wizards, 2-7 in their last nine games.
Miami played without starters Dwyane Wade (sore right hip) and Luol Deng (right thigh contusion). Goran Dragic had 18 points, but left the game after a hard fall late in the third quarter.
Shabazz Napier added 16 for Miami, and Beasley had 13 — all in the fourth quarter.
Washington led 83-48 midway through the third quarter, but Miami cut it to 88-73 after three. Dragic scored 12 points in the quarter.
Beasley’s driving layup made it 98-95 with 1:47 left, and Tyler Johnson’s tip-in pulled Miami to 98-97 at the 1:08 mark.
Miami got to within 17 early in the second, but the Wizards soon extended the lead back above 20, and Beal’s jumper made it 67-39 at intermission.
Gortat’s driving dunk off a between-the-legs pass from John Wall gave the Wizards their 83-48 lead with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
TIP-INS
Heat: Lost the season series with Washington 3-1. … Are 5-21 when trailing after the first quarter. … Miami has used 24 lineup combinations this season, the second-most for a single season in team history (30 in 2007-08). … Hassan Whiteside picked up his eighth technical foul of the season. … Miami picked up a team technical in the fourth for having too many players on the court.
Wizards: Set season highs for points in a quarter (40) and in the first half (67). … Gortat has 10 or more rebounds in his last seven games. … Forward Kris Humphries missed his fourth consecutive game with a strained left groin.
UP NEXT:
Heat: At home against Sacramento on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Milwaukee on Saturday night.
This article was from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
