Heat take care of business with 132-101 rout of Wizards

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Feb 8, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON – Yes, another early 22-point lead, just like Friday night in Boston.

But actually nothing like that blown 22-point lead against the Celtics, considering this was against a team again prioritizing its annual race to the bottom of the standings, and therefore top of the lottery.

So little worry for the Miami Heat in this one amid the Washington Wizards’ Super Bowl Sunday indifference, as Erik Spoelstra’s team rolled to a 132-101 victory at Capital One Arena.

On a chilly afternoon, in a sparsely attended arena, the Heat got off to a somewhat shaky defensive start, recognized what they were (actually weren’t) up against, and pushed their lead into the 30s in the third period, affording needed rest ahead of Monday night’s home game against the Utah Jazz.

So Bam Adebayo needed for just 28 minutes, but still closing with 22 points and eight rebounds, Norman Powell lost for the afternoon in the third period due to back pain, but still with 21 points.

Andrew Wiggins also got to sit late for the Heat, after completing an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, with Kel’el Ware allowed to play deeper into the afternoon, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

The Heat also got a career-high 22 points from rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis. who closed 5 of 5 on 3-pointers.

Five degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:

— Game flow: The Heat led 37-33 after the first period and 75-52 at halftime.

Then, as if there was any doubt where this was headed, the Heat made sure there would not be another third-period collapse, which largely has been the bane of this uneven season.

This time the lead was 95-65 midway through the third quarter, as a quiet arena grew even quieter, save for a few hearty Heat fans.

Finally, with 8 minutes to play, the starters were pulled, with the likes of Jahmir Young entering the action.

— Rotation alternations: With Pelle Larsson out with the elbow contusion sustained in Friday night’s loss in Boston and Tyler Herro away from the team with his ongoing rib issue, the Heat moved to a lineup that had Myron Gardner making his third start of the season.

The adjustments didn’t end there, with Jakucionis, who did not see action on Friday night in Boston, playing ahead of Dru Smith, and with Spoelstra pairing Adebayo and Ware as he cycled through his rotations, rather than utilizing Nikola Jovic.

— Kasparas can: Jakucionis seized upon his opportunity, opening 3 of 3 on 3-pointers as part of the Heat’s 7 of 11 open from beyond the arc.

Those three first-period 3-pointers were more than Jakucionis had in an appearance since he had three in the Jan. 15 home loss to the Celtics.

Jakucionis was up to 11 points by the opening stages of the second period, his first double-digit outing in his last seven appearances.

— Double big: When Adebayo returned from his first break to play alongside Ware, it was their first minutes together since Jan. 6.

Entering Sunday, Ware had played 10 or fewer minutes in three of his previous six appearances. The Heat was a +22 with the two on the court together in the first half, even if that included Adebayo facilizing Ware on a dunk in the second period.

The duo finished a combined +41 for the afternoon.

— Two more chances: At 28-26, The Heat have two games remaining before their eight-day All-Star break, on Monday night at Kaseya Center against the Jazz and Wednesday night on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans, a pair of teams at the bottom of the Western Conference that stand a combined 30-77.

____