NBA: Wizards escape depleted Heat in OT
Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards looks on against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at TD Garden on October 30, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. Nick Grace/Getty Images/AFP
Bradley Beal recorded 27 points and eight assists to fuel the host Washington Wizards to a 107-106 victory over the short-handed Miami Heat on Friday.
Kyle Kuzma scored 21 points — including the game-winning free throw not even midway through the overtime period. That held up, however, as Max Strus was unable to make an open look from well beyond the arc as time expired
Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis collected 20 points and 17 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
CLUTCH KUZ IS IN THE BUILDING. pic.twitter.com/eYhcPZM67H
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 19, 2022
Corey Kispert highlighted his 17-point performance by sinking five 3-pointers for the Wizards, who have won five of their last six games.
Miami’s Kyle Lowry recorded his 21st career triple-double after collecting 24 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds.
Strus had 22 points, Nikola Jovic added 18 and Orlando Robinson contributed 14 in his NBA debut for the Heat, who have lost two in a row overall and fell to 1-5 on the road this season.
The Heat committed just nine turnovers after posting 23 in a 112-104 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Miami had just seven players suit up for Friday’s game. The Heat played without star forward Jimmy Butler (right knee soreness), center Bam Adebayo (left knee contusion), guard Tyler Herro (left ankle sprain) and guard Duncan Robinson (right hand sprain), among others.
Washington erased a five-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter, as Beal made a layup with 54.8 seconds to play before Kuzma sank a corner 3-pointer with 15.3 seconds remaining.
Orlando Robinson converted a three-point play to give Miami an 85-72 lead with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter before Kispert countered with a traditional 3-pointer. That shot appeared to spark Washington, which trimmed its deficit to seven by the end of the third before Kispert sandwiched 3-pointers around Beal’s three-point play to give the Wizards a 90-88 lead.
The Wizards recognized the trio of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison at halftime. The three players helped the team record three playoff appearances during their time together from 2005-10.
