The Washington Wizards snapped a two-game losing streak in dramatic fashion Saturday night against the Miami Heat. The Wizards erased a 16-point deficit to steal a 103-100 win in front of a sellout crowd at Capital One Arena.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made three of his five three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Spencer Dinwiddie’s three with 1:43 capped Washington’s rally to give them a 99-96 win.
Washington sealed the win with great team defense led by Montrezl Harrell in the waning seconds.
The Wizards did a great job with their switch defense off screens before Kyle Lowry even inbound the ball. Kyle Kuzma ended up on Tyler Herro before Harrell helped to trap Herro.
Harrell got back in position on Bam Adebayo, who handed the ball off to Jimmy Butler. That’s when Harrell switched at the top onto Butler. Harrell plays tight not allowing Butler to get separation before contesting to force the missed three.
Kuzma secured the rebound and was fouled by PJ Tucker with 0.6 seconds remaining. Despite missing both free throws, the Wizards survive a desperation heave from Adebayo to clinch the win.
Defense has been a point of emphasis under first-year head coach Wes Unseld Jr. Once a glaring weakness for the Wizards in recent years, Washington’s turnaround has hinged on their solid team defense.
The Wizards are now 7-1 at home this season. The energy from their largest home crowd of the season was felt following Harrell’s defensive heroics in the final seconds.
Washington is now one-half game behind the Brooklyn Nets for first in the Eastern Conference with an 11-5 record. The Wizards and Heat split their home-and-home series in what could be a preview of a potential playoff series.
