Heat In D.C. For Matchup With Division Leading Wizards
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami/AP) – Getting one of your best players back from injury can be a shot in the arm for any team.
Dwyane Wade shined in his return from injury, leading the Miami Heat to a win despite one of their lowest-scoring efforts of the season.
The Washington Wizards also overcame a low-scoring performance to end their lone losing streak of the season.
The Heat look to cut into the Wizards' Southeast Division lead on Monday night in the nation's capital.
Wade scored 13 of his season-high 27 points in the fourth quarter in Sunday's 86-79 win at New York after missing seven games due to an ailing left hamstring. Miami (9-7) improved to 6-3 in games Wade plays.
Wade made 11 of 18 shots but the rest of the Heat shot 35.2 percent, and Chris Bosh was the only other Miami player to score more than 10, finishing with 20 points. The Heat survived by holding the Knicks to 35.2 percent shooting and a 3-for-24 performance from 3-point range, the worst showing by any opponent this season.
"I think it's just a comfort. My guys, they get a lot of comfort with me being out there," said Wade, whose team began a stretch of playing seven of eight on the road. "Hopefully, I don't have any more hamstring pulls or anything that would keep me out for that long of a stretch."
Although the hamstring didn't appear to bother him, playing on consecutive nights could have an impact on Wade, who admitted being tired.
"I played 32 minutes, but it felt a lot more like 50," he said.
Having won four of six, the Heat look to pull within one-half game of the first-place Wizards (10-5). Miami took a 107-95 home victory over Washington on Oct. 29 in the season opener for both teams, and started 3-0 before losing five of its next seven. Bosh led the way with 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds while Norris Cole had 23 points and Wade scored 21.
The Heat, however, have dropped four of five in Washington. Bosh has sat out three of those visits, and Wade was held to a combined 17 points in last season's two trips to the Verizon Center.
Bosh, averaging 25.2 points and 9.0 rebounds in his last five games, is averaging 24.5 points on 58.7 percent shooting and 9.0 boards in his last four overall matchups with the Wizards.
Wade scored nine points in 18 minutes in Miami's most recent game in the nation's capital, a 114-93 loss April 14. It was his second game back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for nine contests.
Washington has alternated losses and wins in its last four home games, but the Wizards managed to snap a two-game overall skid with an 83-80 victory over visiting New Orleans on Saturday.
Marcin Gortat had 24 points and 13 rebounds in his team's lowest-scoring effort of the season. Washington held the Pelicans to 37.0 percent shooting and outscored New Orleans 15-1 in transition.
"They're not all going to be pretty, but you've got to be able to win some of those," coach Randy Wittman said. "We weren't stellar offensively, but the defense won the game for us."
Leading scorer John Wall had 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting after scoring a season-low six points and missing four of six shots in a 113-87 drubbing in Cleveland on Wednesday. Wall had 16 points and 11 assists in the season opener after totaling 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting in his previous two games versus Miami.
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