Wizards at Heat
Dwyane Wade looks like he’s in peak form, he’s just not getting much help from the rest of his battered and bruised teammates. The Miami Heat will try to avoid back-to-back losses when they host the red-hot Washington Wizards on Friday. The Wizards are winners of five straight and nine of 10, including a 21-point home blowout of Miami on Dec. 1, in which they buried 10-of-19 from 3-point range.
The Heat lost forward Josh McRoberts (torn meniscus) likely for the season and Chris Bosh (calf strain) is out indefinitely, leaving a bigger load on Wade’s shoulders. The perennial All-Star stepped up with 28 points in a win at Brooklyn on Tuesday and scored 42 on the second night of the back-to-back Wednesday but could not drag his team past the lowly Utah Jazz at home in a 105-87 setback. Washington is getting much more balance on offense while John Wall quietly pushes himself into the early-season MVP discussion.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), Sun Sports (Miami)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (18-6): Wall was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week and backed up that honor on Tuesday by scoring 21 points and matching a career high with 17 assists in a 109-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rasual Butler was one of seven players in double figures with 23 points off the bench and was quick to credit Wall. “I am just the recipient of playing with one of the best point guards in the NBA in John Wall,” Butler told reporters. “He does a great job reading defenses, and manipulating defenses.”
ABOUT THE HEAT (12-14): Miami has dropped four straight home games and has not put together back-to-back wins since taking down Orlando and Charlotte on Nov. 22 and 23. Wade took it upon himself on Wednesday and crashed the paint repeatedly, attempting 21 free throws (making 16) in his season-best scoring effort. “As a team, we just have to be better,” Wade told reporters. “…Obviously, with Chris out I just need to be a lot more aggressive. We’ve got to put points on the board if we want to win ball games.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Wizards are 12 games over .500 for the first time in 35 years.
2. Miami G Mario Chalmers is 10-of-35 from the floor over the last four games.
3. Wall is averaging 18.8 points on 53.9 percent shooting to go along with 12.8 assists in the last five games.