Washington Wizards have been anxiously awaiting the start of this season after a breakout season by their team last year. However, they will have to wait a little longer to see the team's first win of the season. The Wizards traveled to Miami where they were defeated by the Heat 107-95.
Chris Bosh led the way for the Heat with 26 points (9-18 shooting) and 15 rebounds. Norris Cole and Dwyane Wade added 23 and 21 points respectively. The Heat looked good in their first game since the departure of LeBron James. Chris Bosh has gotten a quick start towards becoming the primary scoring option like he was during the beginning of his career in Toronto.
As for the Wizards, they didn't look particularly strong on either side of the ball. However, they were without two starters in Bradley Beal and Nene. Beal is sidelined with a wrist injury while Nene (along with DeJuan Blair) served his one-game suspension from a preseason fight.
Garrett Temple got the start in place of Beal, scoring 6 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in 30 minutes. Drew Gooden started in place of Nene and ended up with a team-high 18 points (8-11 FG) in 33 minutes. All-Star PG John Wall started off hot with nine first half assists, and finished the game with 16 points (6-13 FG) and 11 assists. It was clear that Wall needed to use his quickness to attack the basket more often, especially with the injury to Bradley Beal. He began to do so a bit more in the second half, but he will need to be more agressive in creating his own shot moving forward. However, he did an excellent job facilitating the offense and dishing out assists.
A guy the Wizards need to step up this year is Otto Porter Jr. He looked good off the bench, scoring 13 points (4-7 FG) in 23 minutes. If Porter continues his strong play, there is a chance he could crack the starting lineup over Garrett Temple while Beal recovers from injury.
The Wizards return to the court on Thursday in Orlando to face the Magic at 7:00 PM EST. The Heat will travel to Philadelphia to play the 76ers on Saturday.