Wizards rally from 14 down late to stun Heat
Spencer Dinwiddie #26 of the Washington Wizards dribbles during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on October 25, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Spencer Dinwiddie and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for all 15 points during a decisive, 15-2 run as the Washington Wizards rallied to down the Miami Heat 103-100 Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The Wizards trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, struggling with shooting woes and turnovers. Washington coughed up possession 19 times on the night and were shooting worse than 30 percent from 3-point range most of the way until the late comeback.
Heat ball, down 3 with 12.4 left. https://t.co/mPbuD5GJS0
— NBA (@NBA) November 21, 2021
Trailing 94-84 with 4:42 remaining, Dinwiddie and Caldwell-Pope came alive.
Caldwell-Pope completed a four-point play that kicked off Washington’s game-ending push. He scored seven of his 16 points during the run, and Dinwiddie knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as part of his eight points amid the outburst.
Dinwiddie’s second 3-pointer off of one of Bradley Beal’s nine assists gave Washington the lead. Dinwiddie finished with 16 points.
Four free throws from Kyle Kuzma down the stretch preserved the advantage, and Montrezl Harrell contested Jimmy Butler’s would-be overtime-forcing 3-point attempt as time expired.
Harrell played a big part in cutting into the gap during the third quarter, scoring seven of his 13 points off the bench as part of a 9-3 run late in the period. Washington rallied from the 16-point deficit earlier in the period to cut the Miami lead to four heading into the fourth quarter.
The Heat pushed it back to double-digits behind Butler’s game-high 29 points and 20 off the bench from Tyler Herro. But Washington held Miami without a field goal for the game’s final 3:58.
Beal led the Wizards with 21 points. Deni Avdija and Raul Neto added eight points each off the bench. Kuzma scored just six points and shot 1-of-5 from the floor but hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds.
Washington held Miami to 7-of-27 shooting from 3-point range, and the Heat’s winning streak ended at four games.
