Heat 103, Wizards 98: Ray Allen scored 23 points off the bench and Rashard Lewis added 17 as visiting Miami set a franchise record with its 62nd victory and clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs despite playing without four starters.
Shane Battier contributed 15 points and Mike Miller scored 14 for the Heat, who have won four straight and six of seven while resting their stars as often as possible. LeBron James (hamstring), Dwyane Wade (ankle), Chris Bosh (illness) and Udonis Haslem (ankle) all sat out Wednesday.
A.J. Price scored 23 points and John Wall collected 17 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who had a nine-game home winning streak snapped. Washington has dropped three straight and four of five.
It was a close game for most of the night, and Washington took a 72-69 advantage into the fourth quarter. Rashard Lewis' 3-pointer capped a 12-0 Heat run early in the fourth to make it 83-74 with 7:22 left, and Miami never trailed again.
The Wizards pulled within 87-86 on Kevin Seraphin's basket with 4:58 left, but Allen converted a three-point play at the other end and buried a 3-pointer on the next possession to help the Heat pull away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami was 17-for-41 from 3-point range, and more than half of the Heat's 33 field goals were 3-pointers. … The Wizards have allowed 37 made 3-pointers in the past two games. The New York Knicks matched a franchise record with 20 against Washington on Tuesday. … Wizards SF Martell Webster left in the third quarter with an abdominal strain. Washington also was without SF Trevor Ariza (knee).
Miami | Washington | |
Ray Allen 23 | Scoring | A.J. Price 23 |
Mario Chalmers 8 | Assists | John Wall 11 |
Mike Miller 8 | Rebounds | John Wall 9 |
Chris Andersen 8 | Free Throws Made | Martell Webster 6 |
Ray Allen 3 | Steals | Martell Webster 4 |
Chris Andersen 3 | Blocks | Kevin Seraphin 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Miami | 103 | 44.0 | 17-41 | 20-23 | 19 | 47 | 6 | 7 | 25 |
Washington | 98 | 45.0 | 11-23 | 15-21 | 19 | 34 | 5 | 15 | 16 |