(Michael Laughlin / Sun Sentinel)
Wizards 102
Heat 93
November 15, 2017, American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Though at moments in the game it looked easy for the Washington Wizards to fend off the Miami Heat, but the opposing team proved all throughout the game that it wouldn't be. The Wizards squandered multiple chances to put the game away last night, except their final chance, where in the 4th quarter John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to score as many points as the entire Heat team. The Wizards grinded and eventually prevailed, earning their fourth straight victory in a 102-93 win.
John Wall is killing it.
#WOLFSZN has been a bit UN-SZNAL in some games but during this 4-game win streak, the leaves have turned once again. Let's face it, whether it shows in a box sheet or not, the fate of the Wizards' always lies firstly on John Wall before anyone else on the team. Last night once again proved that.
To only John's credit, his allure on the floor is strong enough to make a squad around him want to run their opponents into the ground. And when John is able to successfully orchestrate such things, the Wizards are damn near unstoppable.
Wall finished with 27 points on 21 shots. He finished with just 6 assists. But my God if he didn't make all the right plays - and biggest plays - when they mattered. The game-opening 3. His chase-down block on Tyler Johnson. The dagger that nailed the coffin: an and-1 in the final 3 minutes of the game to put the Wizards up by 9 and cause this smile:
And behold, the NUTMEGG:
Miami had the runs tonight..
And I'm not from the nachos at Mango's.
The Wizards couldn't maintain a commanding lead tonight. Multiple times throughout the first three quarters the Wizards built double-digit leads multiple times, yet the Heat still managed to pry themselves back into the game and trim the deficit. For example, a 42-29 Wizards lead in the 2nd quarter was quickly reduced to six. Later in the 2nd the Wizards leaped up by 10 only to have it split to 5 moments later.
The problem, if you're curious, was that the Heat couldn't stop hitting 3's to open the quarter. They knocked down five in the first six minutes, mostly the work of James Johnson. But the Wizards brushed off the heat (pun) one more time in the final minutes leading up to halftime, going on an 11-4 run, capped off by this:
And then came…
...that daunting 3rd quarter...
..Where the Heat shot just 36 percent from the field, and THAT WAS STILL 15 PERCENT BETTER THAN THE WIZARDS. A complete shit show of the quarter - which was widely deemed as the worst quarter of basketball this far this season. The Wizards scored just 10 points in the period, transforming that 12-point halftime lead into a 3-point deficit going into the 4th.
So just WTF happened? Only one player outside of Bradley Beal hit a field goal (John Wall). Wall went 1-5, Keef was 0-3 including a missed dunk (or was it partially blocked?).
Meanwhile, the Heat were reaping the joys of second chance opportunities, converting missed shots into made buckets. The worst of it all came on a back-to-back sequence where Dion Waiters hit a 3 in Bradley Beal's face and on the ensuing offensive possession, Justice Winslow took Otto Porter to the rim and the Heat took their first lead of the game.
The quarter did take an interesting turn as Goran Dragic and Bradley Beal fired off exchanges from the 3-point stripe. Dragic ultimately won that battle hitting one final 3 and giving the Heat a 74-71 lead.
Sometimes, a little heartache is the cost of ultimate satisfaction
Down the stretch of this game, the Wizards played defense unlike the way we've seen much of before. The Heat went on three separate scoring droughts of 1:47, 2:22, and 2:54 in the 4th quarter alone. That's 7 minutes and 3 seconds of total PTO taken.
The Wizards rewarded themselves for their defense with buckets that eventually reversed their 7-point 4th quarter deficit into a 9-point lead.
It's fascinating how much just a little extra notch of defense will change the course of a game (it's really not, it's fundamental of course). The Wizards have the utmost propensity to ball out against any team in the league and matching them point for point. Last night was that kind of night but only more. The Wizards opened up the game with a solid defensive effort, holding the Heat to under 20 points on sub-40 percent shooting and forcing them into 4 turnovers. The Wizards ended the game with key defensive stands, including this, yes another outrageous chase-down block from John Wall:
For all the stupidity that caused them to squander their lead in the second half and trail by as many as 7 in the 4th quarter, the Wizards continued to be reactive and respond to their wrongs by making it right. This while being on the road against a division rival they don't really like. The Wiz closed out the game outscoring the Heat 31-19 in the 4th with Wall and Beal combining for 19 points.
What's Next?
The Wizards return home on Friday night and the same Miami Heat will follow them for the second of a home-and-home. The key for the 'Zards is to maintain the same level of energy they had to end last night's game and transpose it onto the floor tomorrow night. The Heat aren't happy about their 4th quarter meltdown and tarnishing their comeback attempt, and they'll be sure to express that unhappiness when they meet the Wizards for the second time in two nights.