Washington, Feb. 8 (BUS): Pam Adebayo scored 21 points and Jimmy Butler 19 points to lead the Eastern Conference leaders Miami Heat to a 121-100 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Miami (35-20) won their third in a row and improved to 3-2 in a six-game road trip.
“We’re just playing at a very high level,” Butler said. “Our energy has been there, and it’s also good to win on the road.”
Corey Kisbert equalized his career high with 20 points for the Wizards (24-29), who lost for the ninth time in 11 games. It’s five games low of the season under 0.500 after opening 10-3, The Associated Press reports.
The difference was 3 shots. Hit shot 18 for 32 (56.3%) from long range while Witches were 7 for 31 (22.6%).
Miami, never late, went 22-1 to lead 98-70 early in the fourth quarter.
Adebayo scored 14 points in third place.
“Pam on this wild ride has been putting in some great plays in figuring out when you have to be aggressive and scoring and knowing when to find someone else for an easy basket,” Miami coach Eric Spoelstra said. “It’s always a difficult balance when you’re a great player.”
Late in the third inning, three technical fouls were evaluated in just over two minutes. Denny Avdega of Washington and Montrezel Harrell each received one, along with Spoilstra.
Hint
Heat: J Tyler Hero had a sore right knee. …Spoelstra has the honor to coach Durant’s team in the NBA All-Star Game on February 20 in Cleveland. “I remember at the beginning of December when we came back to the standings, it looked like a little out of the way, but the players kept screwing,” Spoilstra said. “It’s been a unique season because of all the revolving doors, and I really commend our group.” … Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 15.
Handlers: C Daniel Gafford is included in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. …G Bradley Beal missed his fourth game in a row due to a sprain of his left wrist. “Hopefully we can have something this week,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said.
skirmish
Towards the end of the game, Mike Batiste, the player development coach for Wizards, got into an argument with at least one fan.
Harel led Batiste away and toward the locker room.
“To my understanding, one fan, or many a fan, said something out of line,” Unseld said. “Obviously, we have to take the highway. You can’t get sucked into that. But I think it was a situation where something was said was exaggerated, and I think it got the best of one of our coaches. But either way, you have to take the highway” .
shooting stars
Spoelstra knows how important 3-point imaging is.
“The energy really starts from our defence,” he said. “They were really active in forcing matches, forcing us on big shots and getting some easy shots on the open field. We have a bunch of combustible guys. They hit one and that can easily turn into four or five.”
Trade deadline
Wizards F. Kyle Kuzma was traded from the Lakers to Washington in a five-team deal that sent Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles last summer. And with Thursday’s trading deadline looming, Kuzma knows it could be a tough time for players.
“You are unwanted. The world is kind of against you,” Kuzma said. “It affects your playing. I saw that. I’ve experienced it firsthand. The most important thing in this period is that you have to understand, you have to be a professional at the end of the day. You still have to come to work.”
next one
Heat: Visit New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
Wizards: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.