Bradley Beal stepped back to create separation and as his shot clanked off the rim, the Wizards star jumped in frustration. After a scorching first half — a scorching month, really — Beal had finally gone cold.
With Beal’s shot off the mark, the Wizards couldn’t generate enough offense Sunday and fell 100-89 to the Miami Heat. Beal saw his streak of 21 consecutive games with at least 25 points snapped.
He finished with 23.
After halftime, Beal scored just three points on 1-of-14 shooting. In the fourth, with the game in the balance, the 26-year-old missed all nine of his shots.
The Heat, too, pulled away late as center Bam Adebayo (27 points) and sharpshooter Duncan Robinson (23 points) dominated the Wizards late.
When the Heat last visited Capital One Arena, they were shocked by a shorthanded Wizards team. That night, a 123-105 Washington win, the Wizards were without Beal and an unlikely trio of Jordan McRae, Garrison Mathews and Ian Mahinmi combined for 82 points en route to the importable upset.
Washington looks vastly different now. Eight of the 11 players who logged at least a minute in the Wizards’ previous win over Miami are now either out of the rotation, hurt or off the team entirely. The Wizards now look more like the team they envisioned at the beginning of the season.
Initially, the Wizards remained competitive thanks to Beal.
In the first half alone, Beal erupted for 20 points — on just 10 shots. Four of those makes came from behind the arc, and the two-time All-Star was able to get to his spots despite Jimmy Butler and Andre Iguodala — two All-Defensive defenders — guarding him.
“Beal is on an incredible run right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game. “You’re going to watch his highlights in addition to your normal scouting and prep. He’s ultimately skilled in every facet of the game offensively.”
Beyond Beal, the Wizards found success with sharpshooter Davis Bertans. Bertans zigged and zagged his way around the arc, running to open spots and knocking down open 3-pointers. All five of Bertans’ first-half makes came from deep and it was partially why Washington only trailed 57-54 at halftime.
In the third, Washington even took its first lead of the game when center Thomas Bryant posted up forward Derrick Jones Jr. and powered through for the basket. The pace itself slowed during the quarter as each team shot under 40%. The Wizards held Miami to just 15 points and ended the quarter tied.
But the Wizards faltered in the fourth. As a team, they shot just 33.3% — not nearly good enough to beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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