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Stevenson, Wizards secure rare road victory vs. Heat

Dec 14, 2007 - 5:17 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Washington Wizards finally got to enjoy a trip to "South Beach."

DeShawn Stevenson scored 18 of his season-high 26 points in the first half as the Wizards won their third straight game with Thursday's 104-91 triumph over the Miami Heat.

"In the first quarter, Caron (Butler) told me to shoot the ball and was mad that I passed up a couple of shots, so I went out there and starting shooting the ball," Stevenson said.

It was Washington's first victory on the road in the series in the last eight contests between the teams.

"It felt good because we haven't got a win down here since (2003)," said Butler, who is a former Heat forward. "And for me personally, I haven't won here since being traded, so it was a nice feeling."

Bulter scored 19 points and Antawn Jamison chipped in 16 and 16 rebounds for the Wizards, who improved to 9-5 without injured superstar Gilbert Arenas (knee).

"It's going to get to a point where if we play over our heads, we can win some big games, but in order for us to go to that next level, we need Gilbert," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said.

Washington wasted little time taking control, jumping out with an impressive 26-11 surge over the first 10 minutes of the first quarter behind Stevenson, who scored 12 points in the period.

The Wizards maintained their advantage through the second to hold a 59-49 bulge at halftime.

Ricky Davis drilled a 3-pointer and Shaquille O'Neal added a layup to help bring the Heat within 61-56 with 8:47 remaining in the third.

But Washington created some distance with a commanding 14-0 burst that was capped by Butler 's driving layup at the 4:11 mark. He netted 10 of his 16 third-period points in the run.

Miami 's 1-2 punch of O'Neal and Dwyane Wade combined for just 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field.

"This game really hurt," Wade said. "To lose this game when things are going right for us, finally."

Chris Quinn scored a career-best 22 points and Udonis Haslem added 19 and 11 boards for Miami, which now has a dismal 2-7 record at home - second worst in the league.

"I don't know what it is at home, but we need to keep playing basketball and get the job done," Wade said.