The streaking Miami Heat are trying to hold on to the last spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament as they travel to face the Washington Wizards Monday night at Capital One Arena.
After a 10-game losing streak, the Heat (33-41) have won four in a row — the third longest active streak in the NBA — and need two more wins to clinch a spot in the Play-In Tournament. It would be a significant achievement for a team that dealt with turmoil all season and traded away star Jimmy Butler in February.
“Our guys love to compete,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after his team’s win over the Sixers Saturday. “I said this while we were losing games. We all felt alive. We felt alive from the competition and the challenge and how frustrating it was. When you’re in those circumstances, you can also feel dead, but that’s not the case with this group. Guys are having fun with the competition and having these games mean something.”
Tyler Herro has been the catalyst for the Heat’s recent surge. In his last four games he scored 30, 36, 20 and 29 points, respectively.
“He’s playing so patiently without the ball and the game is really slowing down for him,” said Spoelstra. “He’s a handful and guys are getting more comfortable getting him the ball when he’s on the move. I love it. I love what he’s doing.”
There’s not much to love in Washington other than the NBA Draft odds. The 16-58 Wizards have lost seven out of their last eight games and are currently tied with the Jazz and Hornets for the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Washington allowed 162 points in a loss to the Pacers last week — the most points any team has scored in the NBA this season — and fell to the Nets on Saturday on a Drew Timme lay-up with 7.7 seconds left.
Wizards coach Brian Keefe continues to point out the positives.
“We’re learning, we want to see these guys in different situations and see how they handle the pressure,” Keefe said after the Nets loss. “These end-of-game situations are great. They had a ton of things that they learned. The best thing was their resilience and toughness. I was real proud of these guys at the end.”
AJ Johnson, who the Wizards picked up in the Khris Middleton trade with Milwaukee, had a career-high 20 points against the Nets. 22-year-old guard Colby Jones added 20 points, as well.
“I think what we’re learning about Colby is he’s a competitor,” Keefe said. “He comes up with loose balls, deflections, steals. He just makes winning plays. Those are the types of things we want to learn.”
The Wizards’ No. 2 overall pick in 2024, Alex Sarr, has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games.
Washington guard Jordan Poole has made 221 threes this season, two behind Bradley Beal’s franchise record of 223 set in the 2016-17 season.
Miami has won both prior meetings this season, including a 106-90 victory in Miami on March 3rd.
–Field Level Media
