Rozier, Adebayo help Heat outlast Wizards, move closer to sixth-place Indiana
WASHINGTON (AP) Terry Rozier III scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 and the Miami Heat grinded out a 119-107 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.
Jimmy Butler added 17 points for the Heat, who won their second straight. Miami, seventh in the Eastern Conference, went 25 for 29 from the free throw line to move within a half-game of Indiana in the race to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Despite reaching the NBA Finals from the No. 7 seed last season, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said there's every reason to chase as high a position as possible.
“We're going for it. That's who we are,” Spoelstra said. “And if we see opportunity in front of us, that's what we're going for.”
Miami will play three teams grappling for East playoff position in its next four games, beginning with New York at home on Tuesday.
“We can't worry about the next four, we've got to worry about the next one,” Adebayo said. “Both teams got something to lose at the end of the day. So there's going to be a little more edge.”
Jordan Poole scored 22 points and Marvin Bagley III had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Washington on a night Wizards leading scorer Kyle Kuzma sat out with a bruised right heel. Anthony Gill tied a career high with 18 points for the Wizards, who have lost three in a row following a season-high three-game win streak.
Miami hit seven 3-pointers - half of their total makes all game - to take control during a 24-7 run that stretched across halftime. Rozier hit the final two before the interval, the second giving the Heat a 66-59 edge at the break, their largest lead to that point.
“That's what he's for, to be that spark, that light when we need him,” Adebayo said of Rozier, who scored 20 of his points before halftime. “And obviously he runs the team well.”
Duncan Robinson hit two more 3s early in the third in his first game after missing five with ongoing back issues. And after Rozier and Nikola Jovic added two more 3s the lead had grown to 78-62.
Butler scored five straight points in the fourth on a dunk from a back-door cut and then a three-point play to restore Miami's lead to 112-97, after the Wizards briefly cut the deficit down to 10.
“We'll take them literally however we can get them at this point,” Spoelstra said of the win. “In the second half, when we were able to get some consecutive defensive stops and push it to a double-digit lead, that was the first time we were really able to create some separation and keep it there. And that was encouraging to see.”
UP NEXT
Heat: Host New York on Tuesday night.
Wizards: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Bam Adebayo vs. Marvin Bagley III (Jimmy Butler gains possession) | ||
| 11:41 |  | Nikola Jovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:39 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:19 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 11:17 | | Marvin Bagley III turnover (bad pass) (Terry Rozier steals) | ||
| 11:04 | | Nikola Jovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:00 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:44 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 10:41 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point tip dunk | 0-2 |
| 10:32 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving floating jump shot | 2-2 |
| 10:13 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point driving layup | 2-4 |
| 9:59 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point stepback jump shot | 4-4 |
| 9:43 | | Nikola Jovic blocks Deni Avdija's two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 9:40 | | Jimmy Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 9:38 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 9:34 | | Duncan Robinson offensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:19 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point pullup jump shot | 4-7 |
| 8:46 | | Bam Adebayo misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:42 | | Nikola Jovic offensive rebound | ||
| 8:41 | | +2 | Nikola Jovic makes two point floating jump shot | 6-7 |
| 8:30 | | Jordan Poole misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:27 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 8:15 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point driving bank jump shot | 8-7 |
| 8:03 | | +3 | Deni Avdija makes three point stepback jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 8-10 |
| 7:57 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. shooting foul (Nikola Jovic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:57 | | +1 | Nikola Jovic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-10 |
| 7:57 | | +1 | Nikola Jovic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 10-10 |
| 7:47 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point cutting dunk (Jordan Poole assists) | 10-12 |
| 7:36 | | Nikola Jovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:33 | | Jordan Poole defensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | Duncan Robinson blocks Corey Kispert's three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:25 | | Nikola Jovic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:23 | | Terry Rozier misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:19 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 7:09 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:06 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point running finger roll layup | 12-12 |
| 6:50 | | Terry Rozier blocks Deni Avdija's two point driving layup | ||
| 6:50 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 6:50 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:40 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 12-15 |
| 6:24 | | Jordan Poole personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 6:15 | | Terry Rozier misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Johnny Davis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:08 | | Terry Rozier personal foul (Loose ball) (Johnny Davis draws the foul) | ||
| 6:02 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:58 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | Bam Adebayo turnover (bad pass) (Corey Kispert steals) | ||
| 5:48 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:45 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 5:28 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point cutting layup (Nikola Jovic assists) | 14-15 |
| 5:09 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:07 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 4:51 | | Haywood Highsmith misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:49 | | Johnny Davis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:36 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving finger roll layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 14-17 |
| 4:22 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point dunk (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 16-17 |
| 4:11 | | Corey Kispert misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 4:11 | | Haywood Highsmith defensive rebound | ||
| 4:01 | | +3 | Terry Rozier makes three point jump shot (Nikola Jovic assists) | 19-17 |
| 3:48 | | Jordan Poole turnover (bad pass) (Terry Rozier steals) | ||
| 3:42 | | +3 | Haywood Highsmith makes three point running jump shot (Bam Adebayo assists) | 22-17 |
| 3:40 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:25 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:21 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 3:11 | | Deni Avdija blocks Haywood Highsmith's two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 3:08 | | Anthony Gill defensive rebound | ||
| 3:04 | | Anthony Gill misses two point running layup | ||
| 3:00 | | Johnny Davis offensive rebound | ||
| 3:00 | | +2 | Johnny Davis makes two point tip layup | 22-19 |
| 2:42 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point hook shot | ||
| 2:39 | | Johnny Davis defensive rebound | ||
| 2:25 | | Deni Avdija turnover (bad pass) (Delon Wright steals) | ||
| 2:20 | | +3 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes three point running jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 25-19 |
| 2:07 | | +3 | Anthony Gill makes three point jump shot (Jared Butler assists) | 25-22 |
| 1:48 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:31 | | Anthony Gill misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 1:30 | | Anthony Gill offensive rebound | ||
| 1:30 | | +2 | Anthony Gill makes two point putback layup | 25-24 |
| 1:06 | | +2 | Haywood Highsmith makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 27-24 |
| 0:52 | | Deni Avdija misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:48 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 0:43 | | Jared Butler shooting foul (Delon Wright draws the foul) | ||
| 0:43 | | +1 | Delon Wright makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-24 |
| 0:43 | | +1 | Delon Wright makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-24 |
| 0:31 | | +2 | Anthony Gill makes two point driving hook shot (Jared Butler assists) | 29-26 |
| 0:31 | | Haywood Highsmith shooting foul (Anthony Gill draws the foul) | ||
| 0:31 | | +1 | Anthony Gill makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 29-27 |
| 0:17 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 0:17 | | Delon Wright personal foul (Loose ball) (Jared Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 0:17 | | +1 | Jared Butler makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-28 |
| 0:17 | | +1 | Jared Butler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-29 |
| 0:01 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 0:01 | | Anthony Gill defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:45 | | +2 | Jared Butler makes two point driving floating jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 29-31 |
| 11:28 | | Haywood Highsmith misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:25 | | Tristan Vukcevic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. blocks Marvin Bagley III's two point driving layup | ||
| 11:07 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:02 | | +2 | Thomas Bryant makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 31-31 |
| 10:56 | | Duncan Robinson shooting foul (Marvin Bagley III draws the foul) | ||
| 10:56 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-32 |
| 10:56 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-33 |
| 10:44 | | Jared Butler shooting foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 10:44 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-33 |
| 10:44 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-33 |
| 10:29 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point floating jump shot | 33-35 |
| 10:16 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Marvin Bagley III steals) | ||
| 10:13 | | Marvin Bagley III turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:03 | | Thomas Bryant offensive foul (Jared Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 10:03 | | Thomas Bryant turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:48 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point driving bank hook shot (Jared Butler assists) | 33-37 |
| 9:28 | | Tristan Vukcevic personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 9:18 | | Haywood Highsmith misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:16 | | Marvin Bagley III defensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | +2 | Jared Butler makes two point driving finger roll layup | 33-39 |
| 9:07 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:49 | | Haywood Highsmith turnover (bad pass) (Marvin Bagley III steals) | ||
| 8:45 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point running layup (Jared Butler assists) | 33-41 |
| 8:31 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point cutting layup (Jimmy Butler assists) | 35-41 |
| 8:21 | | Haywood Highsmith personal foul (Jared Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 8:15 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:12 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | +3 | Terry Rozier makes three point stepback jump shot | 38-41 |
| 7:50 | | Thomas Bryant blocks Marvin Bagley III's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 7:32 | | Terry Rozier misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:28 | | Jared Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 7:17 | | Corey Kispert misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:16 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 7:12 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:08 | | Jimmy Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 6:48 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 6:47 | | Jimmy Butler offensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | Corey Kispert shooting foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 6:47 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-41 |
| 6:47 | | Jimmy Butler misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:45 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 6:33 | | Jordan Poole misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 6:31 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 6:26 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point floating jump shot (Duncan Robinson assists) | 41-41 |
| 6:08 | | +3 | Tristan Vukcevic makes three point jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 41-44 |
| 5:45 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 43-44 |
| 5:30 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point reverse layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 43-46 |
| 5:15 | | Haywood Highsmith misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:13 | | Marvin Bagley III defensive rebound | ||
| 5:07 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point running pullup jump shot | 43-48 |
| 4:51 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point stepback jump shot | 45-48 |
| 4:38 | | Jordan Poole misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 4:36 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | Tristan Vukcevic shooting foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 4:35 | | Jimmy Butler misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:35 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-48 |
| 4:23 | | Jimmy Butler personal foul (Deni Avdija draws the foul) | ||
| 4:17 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:15 | | Nikola Jovic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:07 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. personal foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | ||
| 4:07 | | +1 | Bam Adebayo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 47-48 |
| 4:07 | | +1 | Bam Adebayo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-48 |
| 3:59 | | Nikola Jovic personal foul (Anthony Gill draws the foul) | ||
| 3:52 | | Haywood Highsmith shooting foul (Anthony Gill draws the foul) | ||
| 3:52 | | Anthony Gill misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:52 |