Shorthanded and playing on the back end of a back-to-back, the Washington Wizards didn’t have enough juice, falling to the Miami Heat 112-97. The Wizards have now lost two in a row and fell from out of first place in the Eastern Conference.
Bradley Beal led Washington’s offense with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Kyle Kuzma got back in his groove with a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. However, Miami’s Jimmy Butler countered with a game-high 32 points. Heat center Bam Adebayo added 20 points and nine rebounds on his return to the court.
Both teams shot the basketball well. The Wizards shot 49.4% from the field. That included them making 15-of-36 from three. The 41.7% three-point shooting was well over their season average of 32.3%.
The Heat (11-4) shot 50% from the field, including 10-of-26 (38.5%) from three.
The Wizards (10-5) were without two key players to their early success. Spencer Dinwiddie had a maintenance day, as he has been restricted in back-to-backs coming off a torn ACL from a season ago. Meanwhile, starting center Daniel Gafford missed the game with a right thumb injury.
Their absences loomed large for Washington. Miami, who was without guard Tyler Herro, took advantage.
1. No Daniel Gafford, no paint and rim protection for the Wizards
The Wizards struggled scoring in the paint with Gafford out. Eventually, the Wizards chipped in 40 points in the paint. But it was a hard fought 40. On the other end, Gafford’s rim protection was sorely missed.
The Heat scored 50 points in the paint. Look no further than Butler and Adebayo as the catalysts. Butler made 11-of-19 shots from the field. None were from three. His ability to enter the paint at will was alarming.
Adebayo scored on all nine of his made field goals from the paint. It’s safe to assume that Butler and Adebayo’s presence in the paint would not have been as strong if Gafford was on the floor.
2. Turnovers amount without Dinwiddie
Despite having the second-largest usage rate among prevalent players for the Wizards, Dinwiddie has averaged a respectable 1.8 turnovers per game. The Wizards struggled to protect the basketball with him out against the Heat.
Washington committed 17 turnovers, leading to 20 points off turnovers for the Heat. In contrast, the Heat had six turnovers and the Wizards scored nine points off them. In a 15-point loss, being minus-11 with points off turnovers has to be highlighted.
Beal led the Wizards with six turnovers. Aaron Holiday, who replaced Dinwiddie in the starting lineup, had four. The Wizards starting lineup accounted for 16 turnovers.
3. Energy seemed flat starting with Montrezl Harrell
With Gafford out the lineup, Montrezl Harrell stepped in starting at center. Harrell’s energy has been infectious all season. The former Sixth Man of the Year has been able to flip the switch off the bench.
He didn’t have the same impact starting Thursday night. Yes, he scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting while adding nine rebounds. But, it wasn’t the same authorize approach Harrell has shown this season.
Harrell, who averaged 28 minutes per game, appeared overextended with 36 minutes. Throw in the fact the Wizards didn’t have a reliable center behind Harrell.
Extended minutes on the back end of a back-to-back didn’t bode well. But it is worth noting, the Heat were also short handed and playing the second game of a back-to-back.
4. Difference in role players shaped the game
Shorthanded, the Wizards needed much more out of their role players than they received in Miami. Raul Neto went scoreless. Deni Avidja shot 2-of-6 from the field. Holiday shot 2-of-7 from the field.
Meanwhile, the Heat got contributions from just about anyone. PJ Tucker shot 6-of-7 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from three. Then, Gabe Vincent took over the game off the bench with 18 points, including 6-of-12 shooting. Vincent stepped up in the place of Herro.
5. Unseld unsure if Gafford will be back for Saturday’s rematch
The same two teams will meet again back in DC on Saturday night. Wizards head coach said he was unsure if Gafford will be back for the next game. He also said he looks forward to having Dinwiddie.
If Thursday’s meeting is anything like Saturday’s, getting back Gafford and Dinwiddie is imperative.
