Jimmy Butler scored 24 points and Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 14 rebounds to fuel the visiting Miami Heat to a 110-102 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Butler made 7 of 10 shots from the floor and 9 of 13 attempts from the foul line. He added nine rebounds for Miami, which held a decisive 59-43 advantage in boards for the game and outscored Washington 31-15 in the third quarter.
Butler and Adebayo also fared well in the first encounter this season against the Wizards on Nov. 3. Butler scored 20 and Adebayo added 18 points in the Heat’s 121-114 win.
Terry Rozier, who had eight rebounds, and Tyler Herro each scored 15 points Friday. Kevin Love came off the bench to record 13 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which has won two in a row after a season-high seven-game skid.
Washington’s Corey Kispert made six 3-pointers to highlight his 26-point performance off the bench.
Jordan Poole collected 16 points and 10 assists and Deni Avdija recorded 15 points and eight rebounds for the Wizards, who have dropped the first two contests of their four-game homestand to fall to 3-20 at home this season.
Washington’s Tyus Jones sustained a right ankle sprain and did not return to the game.
The Heat pushed their advantage to 16 points at 100-84 midway into the fourth quarter before the Wizards pulled within four with 31 seconds to play after Poole’s 3-pointer and free throw. Rozier answered with four free throws to seal the win for Miami.
Miami trimmed an 11-point deficit in the second quarter to three at halftime before taking control in the third quarter.
Love made a layup to give the Heat a 72-71 lead with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter. Love, Josh Richardson and Herro each hit a 3-pointer in the final two minutes of the third to give Miami an 87-74 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Washington seized a 45-34 lead with just over 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter after Deion Wright drained a 3-pointer to cap his team’s 10-0 run. Miami trimmed its deficit to three points at 59-56 after Butler sank a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
–Field Level Media
