The Washington Wizards came into tonight’s game atop the eastern conference standings, but fell to number 4 after their loss to the Miami Heat (The Miami Heat jumped to number 1).
Both teams shot the ball effectively in tonight’s game, with the Heat shooting the ball at 50% and the Wizards just below them at 49.4%. The Heat came into tonight’s matchup allowing the fewest points in the paint. The team tried to attack the rim, but stellar defense by the heat limited many of those opportunities. Free throws were a big factor in tonight’s game with the Heat shooting 24 and the Wizards only 10.
Bradley Beal finished the game with 30 points, shooting 11 of 18 from the field. He led all Wizards players in scoring. Jimmy Butler shot 11 for 19 from the field and finished the game with 32 points to lead all scorers (He also went 10 for 10 from the free throw line).
Spencer Dinwiddie and Daniel Gafford were both out for tonight’s matchup. Dinwiddie being because of cautionary reasons and Gafford because of a sprained right thumb.
Turnovers were the biggest factor in tonight’s loss to the Heat. The Wizards finished the game with 17 turnovers (10 of those were steals). Miami finished the game with 6 turnovers, which tied their season low.
All of Miami’s starters finished the game with a positive plus-minus rating, while the Wizards starters all finished the game with a negative plus-minus rating.