Heat tied for final playoff spot in East after road win
WASHINGTON -- Hassan Whiteside had 30 points and 12 rebounds, and James Johnson hit the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left as the Miami Heat helped their playoff hopes with a 106-103 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Miami (39-41), which improved to 3-0 over Washington this season and moved into a tie with Chicago for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series 2-1.
Markieff Morris scored 21 points for the Wizards (48-32). John Wall had 16 points in Washington's regular-season home finale. Bradley Beal also had 16 points, but Whiteside blocked his potential game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Washington, which committed 20 turnovers, fell one game behind third-place Toronto in the East.
The lead changed sides repeatedly in the final minutes. Wall split two free throws as the Wizards led 103-102 with 20.6 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Miami cleared out for Johnson, who dribbled from the backcourt all the way for an easy basket.
After Washington called its own timeout, Kelly Oubre Jr. threw away the inbounds pass, leading to two free throws from Josh Richardson with 9.7 seconds remaining.
Tyler Johnson scored 19 points and Goran Dragic had 18 for the Heat.
The teams close the regular season in Miami.
The Raptors own the head-to-head tiebreaker, meaning Washington must win its final two games and have Toronto drop its remaining games to finish third. Both teams have clinched home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Morris (sore right ankle) started after sitting out Thursday's 106-103 win at the New York Knicks. Otto Porter wasn't active after developing back spasms against New York. Oubre replaced Porter in the starting lineup and had 12 points.
The Wizards needed a victory to become the first team in NBA history to win at least 49 games after a 2-8 start. Washington last won at least 50 games when the Washington Bullets finished 54-28 en route to the NBA Finals.
NOTES: Heat F Luke Babbitt (hip) missed his second game in a row. ... Markelle Fultz, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, attended the game. The D.C. native averaged 23.2 points during his freshman season for the University of Washington. ... Miami hosts Cleveland on Monday. The Heat lead the season series 2-1, including a 120-92 home victory on March 4. ... Washington's final two regular-season games are on the road starting with Monday’s matchup at Detroit.The Wizards and Pistons split the first two games.