NBA: Herro, Adebayo combine for 55, Heat make it 5 in a row
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie and forward Alex Sarr (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Washington, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Bam Adebayo scored 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the Miami Heat to a 120-94 victory over the host Washington Wizards on Monday night.
The Heat (34-41) won their fifth in a row as they try to improve their standing for the upcoming Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
The last-place Wizards (16-59) dropped their third in a row.
READ: NBA: Tyler Herro puts up 36 as Heat handle Hawks
Bam set the tone from the jump with 16 points in Q1 & led the team with 28 💥 pic.twitter.com/FGzHqqI4Q5
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 1, 2025
Miami’s Tyler Herro contributed 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting although he went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and totaled five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
After shooting impressively from 3-point range over their previous four wins, Miami secured the victory despite struggling from beyond the arc. The Heat shot 50.5 percent overall, but they went 9 for 32 (28.1 percent) from 3-point range (28.1 percent), which included Pelle Larsson going 0-for-6 from long distance and Herro finishing 0-for-4.
Miami dominated Washington on the glass, 62-39, including a 15-5 edge in offensive boards.
Jamie Jaquez Jr. and Terry Rozier were among the exceptions to the Heat’s long-distance shooting woes. Jaquez made both of his 3-point attempts and wound up with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench while Rozier went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and totaled 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Kyle Anderson had 10 points.
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Jordan Poole led the Wizards with a game-high 35 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 7-for-13 success from 3-point range. Tristan Vukcevic had 14 points for Washington, which shot 39.5 percent from the floor, 30.2 percent (13 of 43) from long distance.
The Heat led by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter and crushed the Wizards in the paint, outscoring them 68-36. Miami took the lead on an Alec Burks triple with 8:55 left in the first quarter, which started a 13-0 run, and the visitors never trailed again.
Miami’s Davion Mitchell sat out the game due to a stomach illness.
