National Basketball Association
Miami 112, Washington 101
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials: #37 Eric Dalen, #27 Mitchell Ervin, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance: 19600

MIAMI -- Goran Dragic was a season-high plus-25 on Monday night.

His previous best this season was plus-nine.

In other words, this was a good night for Dragic, who scored 34 points, and the Miami Heat, who snapped a five-game losing streak with a 112-101 win over the Washington Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"I'm enjoying this right now," said Dragic, who had the highest-scoring game since he joined the Heat two years ago.

Since missing two straight games on Nov. 15-16 with an injured left elbow, Dragic has enjoyed a lot of success personally, averaging 23.1 points.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks was aware of that and said he tried various tactics in an an attempt to stop Dragic.

"We went small, and we went big," Brooks said. "We (also) switched a lot. But (Dragic) was in attack mode. He was a handful. He had a hot hand throughout the game, and we got beat off the dribble too much."

Dragic made 14-of-23 shots from the floor, including 2-of-5 on 3-pointers. He was also 4-of-4 from the foul line.

"He got a lot of easy looks," Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal said. "We were trying to figure out what we wanted to with him. Pick-and-rolls gave us a little trouble in the fourth. He was getting easy elbow shots, and he was knocking them down."

Heat center Hassan Whiteside added 17 points and 16 rebounds as Miami improved to 8-17.

The Heat, despite missing two injured starters -- shooting guard Dion Waiters and small forward Justise Winslow -- managed a home win, which hasn't been easy for them lately. The Heat, 3-8 at AmericanAirlines, had entered the night with the worst home record in the NBA.

Washington (9-14) had its modest two-game win streak snapped. The Wizards are 6-5 in their past 11 games overall but just 2-8 on the road.

Wizards point guard John Wall and Beal had outstanding games. Wall had 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Beal had 29 points.

"They made the right plays," Brooks said of his guards. "Whether they are scoring or just finding the right pass, that's how they play."

Beal scored 11 points in a first quarter that featured six lead changes and seven tie scores.

Washington built a 38-30 lead with 9:04 left in the second quarter. But the Wizards then went cold, not scoring for more than three minutes. Miami took advantage, finishing the quarter on a 29-15 run and went into halftime leading 59-53.

The Heat shot 59.1 percent in the quarter, and Dragic had 12 points in the period and 18 at the half.

"He's in a great place right now," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Dragic. "We want him to make a lot of plays. He's driving a lot of what we are doing. We have great confidence in him, and he's tireless."

He was also foul-prone on Monday night, and that nearly cost Miami. The Heat was leading 62-53 with 10:28 left in the third quarter when Dragic picked up his fourth foul and was forced to sit. With Dragic out, the Wizards rallied to take a 82-81 lead after three quarters.

But Dragic returned to start the fourth quarter, and that helped spur the Heat to victory.

In addition, Heat reserve forward James Johnson, who returned after missing four games due to a shoulder injury, scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Spoelstra said Johnson -- before he got hurt -- was playing his best basketball in years. Now that he is back, Spoelstra is grateful to get "an extra body" and one who is so useful, especially given Miami's injury issues this season.

"He's a versatile player," Spoelstra said. "We've had success with guys like that over the years, where you play him in a lot of places on the court and try to expose the opposing defense. We like guys like that."

NOTES: Wizards rookie SG Sheldon McClellan, an ex-Miami Hurricanes star, was unable to make his homecoming because he's been playing in the NBA Development League for the Delaware 87ers since last Wednesday, coach Scott Brooks said. McClellan started games for the Wizards on Nov. 12 and Nov. 16. But now that SG Bradley Beal is back from injury, Brooks wants McClellan to get more minutes in the D League. ... Brooks said when Ian Mahinmi (knee) returns from injury, C Daniel Ochefu should get games in the D League. ... F Udonis Haslem was back with the Heat after missing Saturday's Chicago Bulls game with an excused absence. Haslem, who has played his entire 13th-year NBA career with the Heat, was allowed to see his son, Kedonis, play in a Florida high school state football final.
Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Miami
John Wall 30 Scoring Goran Dragic 34
John Wall 8 Assists Goran Dragic 5
Marcin Gortat 11 Rebounds Hassan Whiteside 16
Bradley Beal 5 Free Throws Made Goran Dragic 4
Bradley Beal 4 Steals Wayne Ellington 2
John Wall 1 Blocks Hassan Whiteside 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 101 46.4 5-23 18-22 17 37 1 8 15
Miami 112 51.1 9-26 13-19 25 47 3 6 15
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Heat have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Charlotte. The Wizards have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .538 after a loss.