WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Dwyane Wade scored 33 points and the Miami Heat rolled to a 118-104 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
The Heat started out and finished strong — opening the game with a 7-0 run and hitting eight three-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the win. They had a season-best 14 for the game.
“Both teams went on a good run, but we got the better of it at the end,” Wade, who had four three-pointers, told reporters.
“The next six games are going to be really important to us.”
The victory completed a four-game season sweep of Washington by Miami (41-36), which moved into a virtual tie with Philadelphia (40-35) for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Washington dropped to 18-60, the worst record in the East.
Wade had plenty of support with five team mates finishing in double figures. Yakhouba Diawara and Jermaine O’Neal each had 16 points, Michael Beasley and James Jones both scored 13 and Jamario Moon added 11.
“Our guys are shooting the ball with confidence,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We made some great effort plays in the fourth quarter.”
Caron Butler had 27 points and Antawn Jamison scored 23 for the Wizards, who rested Gilbert Arenas.
The Wizards trailed by 14 points late in the first half, but rallied to within a point at 83-82 with 10:49 to play in the game. Chambers then hit a jumper and Jones scored back-to-back three-pointers to put Miami comfortably ahead.
“We didn’t seem to have the energy,” Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott said. “I felt like we were running in sand early.”
