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Wizards eye first road win against Heat

Nov 14, 2008 - 11:26 AM Washington (1-5) at Miami (4-4) 7:30 p.m. EST

MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Washington Wizards finally found their way into the win column. Duplicating that success on the road won't be as easy.

The Wizards try to earn their second consecutive win on Friday when they open a home-and-home series with the Miami Heat.

After losing each of their first five games, two by double digits, Washington broke through on Wednesday, forging a 95-87 victory against the Utah Jazz. Caron Butler led all scorers with 27 points and added nine rebounds while rookie JaVale McGee registered his second double-double in three games with 13 points and 11 boards.

McGee, a rangy, 7-footer from Nevada, did not go unnoticed by his teammates.

"Without his contribution, we would not have won this game," Butler said of the first-year big man. "I felt young again watching him. At one point, Antawn (Jamison) saw JaVale run up the court and he said, 'You saw that?' And I said, 'Yeah, yeah, let's do what he do.' That's the spark young guys are supposed to give us, though. They are supposed to make us feel better and add that spark. He did a great job of doing that, and that's the effort we need from him night in and night out.

"I think he can be very key to our success."

McGee needs another strong performance if Washington is going to earn its first road win against the Heat, who had a three-game home win streak snapped during a 104-96 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Dwyane Wade poured in a season-high 36 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Miami, scoring at least 30 points for the fourth straight game.