Heat 103, Wizards 93
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat snapped an uncharacteristic two-game losing streak, defeating the Washington Wizards 103-93 Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat improved to 2-2, including 2-0 at home. Last season, the Heat went 37-4 at home.
Miami was led Sunday by LeBron James with 25 points and five assists. Chris Bosh added 24 points and seven rebounds. Dwyane Wade had 20 points.
Giving the Heat a significant lift off the bench was point guard Norris Cole, who made three 3-pointers on four attempts and finished with nine points.
Sunday's game had only one lead change and was not truly in doubt beyond the first quarter. The Wizards got as close as 92-82 with 6:30 left in the game after an 18-5 run.
But that was as close as the Wizards (0-3) got until the final minute.
The Wizards were led by 19 points from shooting guard Bradley Beal.
Washington also got a gutsy performance from point guard John Wall, who had 11 points and nine assists. Wall missed Saturday's practice due to painful back spasms, but he went out and competed against the Heat.
Marcin Gortat added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards.
The Wizards also suffered an unspecified injury to starting forward Trevor Booker.
The Wizards started the game on a 9-2 run, but the Heat quickly recovered. Miami outscored the Wizards 31-18 the rest of the first quarter.
For the entire first quarter, the Heat shot a blistering 65 percent, including 5 of 9 on 3-pointers.
The Heat continued its hot shooting in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 61-48 lead. The Heat shot 57.5 percent in the first half in what stands as their best opening 24 minutes so far this season.
Washington shot 50 percent in the first half, but the Wizards made 12 turnovers and struggled to come up with stops.
The Heat extended their lead to 87-64 after three quarters. Miami maintained its hot shooting -- 55.2 percent from the field, including 11 of 23 on 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, the Wizards cooled off on their shooting, making just 4 of 22 shots in the third period.
NOTES: Friday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets left the Heat with a losing record for the first time since Oct. 26, 2010 -- the first game of the team's LeBron James era. ... It was also the first time in 10 months that the Heat had lost two straight games. ... Wizards C Nene did not play due to a left calf strain. He missed the opener due to the same injury. ... Wizards F Otto Porter, their top draft pick, is out with a hip injury. ... Next up for the Wizards is a game at Philadelphia on Wednesday vs. the surprising 76ers (3-0). ... Next up for the Heat is Monday's game at the Toronto Raptors.
