Washington Wizards vs Miami Heat

(10-5)                                 (9-7)

Preview: The last time these teams faced each other, the Heat won by a score of 107-95 behind a huge game from F Chris Bosh. Bosh put up 26 points and 15 rebounds in a game where 3 Heat players got 20+ points (Norris Cole, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh). That game was on October 29^th, however, a time when star SG Bradley Beal had not yet returned since fracturing his wrist in the pre-season. With Beal back, the Wizards now have one of the best backcourts in the NBA and will surely put up a better fight than in their last game against the Heat. These two teams stack up very neck-and-neck with each other as they both allow and score around 96 points per game. You may not think it’s a high a number on the offensive end, and that’s because it isn’t. Miami and Washington rank 22^nd and 19^th in the NBA in points per game but they make up for it on the defensive end coming in at 7^th and 9^th in points allowed per game. These teams seem very close to each other, but when you look at points and rebounds it becomes a whole other story. The Heat rank dead last in rebounds per game (36.9 RPG) while the Wizards sit at 14^th (42.3 RPG). With assists, Miami is at 18^th (20.8) and the Wizards dish out the 4^th most assists in the NBA (24.4 APG). While it may not some like much, these few points, assists, and rebounds can really help when it comes down to the final stretch of a tight game.

Prediction: I believe that the Wizards will get back at the Heat and hand them their 8^th loss as those poor numbers at rebounds and assists will most likely hurt Miami in close games. If the Wizards are able to grab some offensive boards, these “few” rebounds that might seem meaningless, will really hurt the Heat when they get some easy second-chance points shoved in their face.

Points Per Game Leaders:

MIA – Chris Bosh (21.6 PPG) WAS – John Wall (18.1 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

MIA – Chris Bosh (8.8 RPG) WAS – Marcin Gortat (8.9 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

MIA – Dwyane Wade (6.2 APG) WAS – John Wall (9.1 APG)