The Miami Heat haven't won three straight since a 3-0 start to the season, but they can change that Friday at Washington. The Heat have won four of their last six to move into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but they need to stay hot to hold off a host of pursuers. The Wizards, meanwhile, have lost seven of their last eight to slip to fifth in the East.
Washington's slide continued with a 97-92 loss at Chicago on Tuesday, even with the Bulls missing several key players. "We just have to figure it out," Wizards guard Bradley Beal told reporters. "It's up to us in here. … (We) have to stick together and just figure it out." Washington has won two of three meetings this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Miami), CSN Washington
ABOUT THE HEAT (27-33): Miami has righted the ship after the initial adjustment to losing leading scorer Chris Bosh to a blood clot. The Heat's offensive focus has shifted more toward the backcourt duo of Dwyane Wade (20.7 points, 5.3 assists) and newcomer Goran Dragic, who has averaged 15.9 points and 4.9 assists in seven games since being acquired from Phoenix. Luol Deng (14.6 points, five rebounds) also has helped pick up the slack, and center Hassan Whiteside (11.1 points, 10.1 rebounds) continues to be one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (34-27): Washington has struggled at the offensive end for more than a month now, averaging 94.8 points while losing 12 of its last 15 and managing just 87.3 points per game over its past four. Point guard John Wall (17.2 points, 10.1 assists) has continued to produce, topping 20 points in three straight games, and he has averaged 18 points and 11.3 assists in three meetings with Miami this season. The Wizards need more consistency from power forward Nene, who followed up a 21-point effort in a win over Detroit with a scoreless game against the Bulls.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Whiteside has posted 12 double-doubles in his last 16 games, averaging 15 points, 14.6 rebounds and three blocks over that span.
2. Washington C Marcin Gortat has grabbed double-digit rebounds in a season-high six consecutive games and has four double-doubles during that stretch.
3. Miami is 2-22 when allowing 100 points or more