Recap: Wizards lose to Heat, 110-107

Nov 26, 2022 - 3:57 AM

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The Washington Wizards’ returned to FTX Arena to take on the Miami Heat again. So that meant that the Wizards dealt with the Heat’s 2-3 zone defense, which caused the Wizards issues over the years. And unfortunately, they lost, 110-107 tonight.

Along the way, the Wizards found efficiency in attacking the zone defense in the first half, but Miami stayed afloat and even controlled parts of the first half thanks in part to the strong first half of Bam Adebayo, who scored 22 points before halftime.

In the 2nd half, Bradley Beal got it going, scoring 14 points in the 3rd, including hitting three 3-pointers. Despite Beal’s hot shooting, the Wizards simply could not put Miami away, as they continued to struggle on the defensive end.

The game ended up staying close for much of the 2nd half, but the Wizards struggled to get a basket to close the game only getting two points in the last 2:24 of the game. Meanwhile the Heat finished off the Wizards with Bam Adebayo scoring the Heat’s last two buckets to cap off a 38-point night.

Takeaways

Beal struggled on last possession

Overall Bradley Beal had some good moments in this game, including his 14-point 3rd quarter, but his game will be overshadowed on the last possession. With no timeouts and down by 3 with 12.5 seconds left, Beal brings the ball down court and tried to take Caleb Martin off the dribble only to lose control of the ball and force a contested 3 that was off to end the game.

The Wizards’ bench struggled

Jordan Goodwin certainly provided some good moments here and there, but overall the Wizards’ bench was underwhelming, only providing 20 points. On a night, where Beal, Kuzma and Porzingis combined for 74 points, the Wizards could use more help outside of their “Big 3.” With the injuries that the Wizards have, it really showed up tonight.