The Miami Heat knew they had to beat the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, and they overwhelmed them. From the opening minutes through the final horn, Miami dictated the pace, controlled the glass, and buried Washington under waves of ball movement and shot-making in a 132-101 rout that keeps Erik Spoelstra’s group right where it wants to be in the Eastern Conference Play-In race.
Miami shot efficiently, defended with purpose, and never allowed the Wizards to string together sustained momentum. The result was one of the Heat’s most complete performances of the season, highlighted by a dominant interior showing from Bam Adebayo and a bench unit that flipped the game on its head before halftime.
1. Bam Adebayo Set The Tone On Both Ends
Bam Adebayo was everywhere – and the Wizards had no answers. The Heat big man finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, added eight rebounds, and swiped five steals in just 28 minutes. His activity defensively ignited transition opportunities, and his physicality inside forced Washington into constant rotations.
The impact went far beyond scoring. Miami was +41 with Adebayo on the floor, the highest mark of any player in the game. Whether it was switching onto guards, contesting at the rim, or initiating offense from the elbow, Bam controlled the game’s rhythm. Washington’s frontcourt simply couldn’t keep up.
2. Miami’s Shooting Turned The Game Into A Track Meet
From the beginning, the Heat’s 3-point game was lethal, and it got them 21 3-pointers on a 45% clip. Heat’s offense was led by Norman Powell, who, while also having 21 points, made 5 3-pointers and cashed in on some late defensive closeouts. By the 3rd quarter, Miami had a 20-point positive differential.
From the bench, Kasparas Jakucionis lit it up for 22 points on 8-10 shooting, 3-6 from the 3-point arc. Every time Washington posed the idea of a comeback, it was a similar idea to Miami to complete the defensive closeouts, which means more 3-pointers.
3. Miami Dominated The Glass And Turned Misses Into Momentum
If there was any area Miami blew Washington out in, it was rebounding. They crushed Washington 60-42, and of those 60, 21 were offensive rebounds. This wore Washington down.
Kel’el Ware finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, going a game-best +22 in 30 minutes, while Washington was forced to endure Miami’s offensive rebounds turned into kick-out threes and unchallenged putback layups. Washington also struggled to get possession by playing poor defense.
4. Heat’s Ball Movement Exposed Washington’s Defense
The Heat’s 34 assists on 49 baskets tell the story of Washington getting exploited on the defensive end. They moved the ball around, and the defense just couldn’t keep up.
Myron Gardner had 6 assists, and Andrew Wiggins had 10 rebounds with some sneaky, cute hustle that won’t get recognized in the boxscore. The Heat made a point of finding cutters and shooters, and the Wizards just didn’t have the stamina to defend everything.
The depth and defense of the Wizards also ended up getting exposed.
5. Wizards Fought Early, But Depth And Defense Failed Them
The poor start from the Wizards’ starters was not a total loss, with Justin Champagnie, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, and Bub Carrington all finishing with 12-13 points. Sarr also had 12 rebounds and 5 assists, giving some glimpses of his versatility.
But things started to go wrong when the bench units took the court. The Wizards were being outscored during the non-starter minutes, when they also committed 19, yes, 19 turnovers, which the Miami Heat converted into 19 points. The Heat also outran the Wizards in the fast break, 26-11, and for the 2nd time turned defense into offense, opening the game wide before the 4th quarter started.
