By Leobert Julia A. de la Peña
The Miami Heat are recovering in the most crucial time.
After a fallout with their former star Jimmy Butler, the squad have completely moved on and are in their best shape after racking up their fifth straight win following a one-sided stomping on the Washington Wizards, 120-94, in the ongoing NBA regular season on April 1, 2025.
The victory not only helped the Heat gain the much-needed confidence heading to their final seven-game stretch, but it also boosted their chances of an NBA Play-In qualification, improving to a win-loss record of 34-41 while securing the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Miami is in the position to secure the 10th or go further as the Toronto Raptors, the team that is trailing as the 11th-seeded Eastern Conference team, are behind by six wins with a win-loss record of 28-47.
Since crushing the Charlotte Hornets on March 24, 2025 that kicked off their five-game winning streak, the Heat looked invincible and is averaging a 16-point deficit in all of those dubs.
It seemed like the struggling Wizards didn’t receive the memo after letting the duo of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro torch them with a string of pick-and-roll conversions in the opening quarter.
Miami ran back-to-back PNR plays that put them on board first, followed by a variation of the pick-and-pop which resulted in Herro’s quick three-point heater.
The overwhelming offensive display steered the Heat to a commanding 13-point cushion heading to the second frame, and didn’t look back when they dominated all of the quarters until the final buzzer sounded.
Miami put Washington in handcuffs the whole second half, limiting them to just 47 points in two quarters. On the other hand, the Heat still got what they wanted on the offensive end and capped off the last two cantos with 62 markers.
What was the most impressive part during the victory was how the Heat managed to make up for their dismal three-point shooting as a team, 9/32, by imposing their will in the shaded lane and their offensive rebounding.
Miami collected a total of 15 offensive boards which resulted in 14 second-chance points and also out-ran the Wizards in the fast break, 23-12.
Adebayo led Miami’s waxing-hot outing with a stellar double-double performance of 28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block.
Meanwhile, Herro did what he was supposed to do, and that was to convert buckets. The savvy guard churned in an all-around effort of 27 markers, five boards, five dimes, and three steals.
The Heat will look to resume their NBA playoff bid on April 3, 2025, and will be put to the test as the defending champion Boston Celtics are waiting for them at the TD Garden.
