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HEAT 113 - Wizards 112 Game Recap

The Miami HEAT defeated the Washington Wizards 113-112 Thursday night at Capital One Arena. Josh Richardson led the way for the HEAT with 28 points.

1. KO Wins It

Crashing the glass is important, folks.

Just ask Kelly Olynyk, who came up with the game-winning shot with 0.2 seconds left thanks to a huge offensive rebound.

Strong.

In all, Olynyk had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, four rebounds, one assist and one block.

2. J. Rich Takes Over In The Fourth

After setting a career-high with 21 field goal attempts against the Magic on Wednesday, Richardson kept up his aggressive approach and made the Wizards pay quite often.

In particular, J. Rich went off in the fourth with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including this big-time three off the bounce:

I mean, just look at his reaction after the play.

On the flip side of the ball, the 25-year-old guarded multiple guys, including John Wall a lot down the stretch.

In addition to his game-high 28 points thanks to a game-high five triples, Richardson also amassed five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block.

3. McGruder Has A Career Night

Remember how impressive Rodney McGruder was during the preseason?

Well, the 27-year-old carried over his sharp play to Thursday night and had a game to remember.

Not only did he continue to show great chemistry with Hassan Whiteside on pretty lobs like this in the third quarter…

…but he also knocked down three treys, including one that led to a four-point play, and made smart cuts off the ball like this one in the second quarter:

(Also note the tough finish over Bradley Beal.)

Naturally, McGruder also emptied the tank defensively against the likes of Beal, Wall and Otto Porter Jr..

Just another day at the office, I guess.

When it was all said and done, McGruder recorded career-highs with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, eight boards and six assists.

Other Takeaways:

-While Derrick Jones Jr. got off to a quick start and showcased his athleticism early on with finishes in transition, offensive rebounds and high-energy sequences, nothing touches this clutch deflection to seal the deal for the HEAT:

Yup, that was big.

Like McGruder, Jones Jr. also recorded a career-high with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with five rebounds and a steal.

Game Note:

-James Johnson (Sports Hernia Surgery), Dion Waiters (Left Ankle Surgery) and Justise Winslow (Right Hamstring Tightness) were inactive.

Looking Ahead:

-The HEAT will now head home to face the Hornets on Saturday at 8PM. Tickets for the home opener can be found here.