Wizards Claw Back But Fall to Heat 110-102

The Washington Wizards hosted the Miami Heat on Friday night and played to a 110-102 loss.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Washington Wizards came into Friday night's matchup against the Miami Heat looking to continue their four-game uptick in rebounding where they've averaged 43.8 rebounds per game, good for 15th in the NBA during that stretch. 

While the effort by the Wizards to be more physical on the defensive side of the court was certainly there it didn't stop the Heat from jumping out to an 11-5 lead in the rebound department. 

That didn't stop Washington from carrying a 33-31 lead into the second quarter, however, with guard Corey Kispert leading his side in scoring with nine points coming on three three-point shots made out of four attempts. 

The lead grew to 11 to start the second quarter as the Wizards went on a 12-3 run but by the end of the half that advantage was trimmed to three following an 8-2 run going the other way followed by three-point field goals exchanged by Kispert and Miami guard Jimmy Butler.

At halftime, Washington led 59-56 despite trailing in the rebound category by 11.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The second half started rough for the Wizards as the Heat jumped out to a 4-0 start to take the lead and fouls were committed by both guards Tyus Jones (two in the first three minutes) and Jordan Poole. 

On the other side, Miami didn't commit its first team foul of the quarter until halfway through it. Despite the lopsided fouls and rebounding issues continuing, Washington was able to hold onto a four-point lead with six minutes remaining in the third.

If the Wizards needed an example of physical play on their roster they had to look no further than forward Deni Avdija who had 11 hard-earned points through three quarters. The problem was that he also had four fouls and had to sit during the final stretch of the quarter while the Heat ran out to a 10-point lead.

Physical play on both ends of the court by center Daniel Gafford turned the effort into points, a takeaway, and a trip to the foul line with less than 30 seconds left in the third quarter, and helped Washington regain some momentum.

But it wasn't enough to cool off the Heat who finished with a pair of three-point shots and entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point advantage.

Down double-digits to start the final quarter the Wizards came out firing from distance with four of their first six shots coming from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, none of them went in.

In fact, the first six three-point attempts by Washington failed to find the net and the result was a 16-point deficit with just over six minutes left to play.

That's when the Wizards started attacking the rim instead of trying to play catchup from distance and the result was a 6-0 run that trimmed the lead to just 10 with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Washington trimmed the lead to seven with two minutes remaining and appeared to be on their way to cutting it even closer when Avdija was called for his fifth foul of the game on a play that likely would've led to a transition bucket for his team. 

Miami center Bam Adebayo made just one of the ensuing free throws, however, and the lead was eight with less than 1 minute 30 seconds left in the game.

The Heat put the ball back in the hands of their big man to keep the lead near double-digits but Poole's first made three of the quarter - and his team's first - cut the lead to just five nearing the 30-second mark and after a takeaway for the Wizards the guard found himself at the free throw line with a chance to cut it to three.

Wizards Pregame: Physicality and Connectivity Needed to Beat Heat

Poole missed the second free throw and the lead was four after it seemed Washington had played itself out of the game altogether.

Miami guard Terry Rozier III extended the lead to six in the final moments and one more missed three-point shot sealed the loss for the Wizards, their 39th of the year.

Kispert led Washington and all players in scoring with 26 points while Butler led the Heat with 24.

The Wizards next take the court Sunday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns.

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You can follow David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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