MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 32 points and the Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards 112-97 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.
The teams will meet again Saturday night in Washington.
Butler shot 11 of 19 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws in his second consecutive outing over 30 points.
Bam Adebayo added 20 points, Gabe Vincent had 18 points and P.J. Tucker 15. The Heat improved to 11-5.
Bradley Beal scored 30 points for Washington, and Kyle Kuzma added 19 points. The Wizards have lost two straight to drop to 10-5.
The Heat made 7 of 8-pointers in the third period to take control. Duncan Robinson’s 3-pointer with 3:59 remaining in the quarter gave Miami its largest lead at 75-57. The double-digit result was the ninth in the Heat’s 11 wins.
Guard Tyler Herro, Miami's second-leader scorer, sat out because of a bruised right wrist. The Wizards rested third-leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal also had five assists, including a pass on Montrezl Harrell’s first-quarter dunk that for career assist No. 2,500. ... Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. was facing Miami for the first time. His father, former Washington Bullets coach Wes Unseld, went 11-15 against the Heat from 1989 through 1994. ... Wizards assistant Pat Delany spent 11 years in the Heat organization, starting in the video room, then scouting and eventually coaching in the G League.
Heat: Markieff Morris (whiplash) missed a sixth consecutive game after taking the Nov. 8 hit from Denver’s Nikola Jokic. ... The Heat play their next four games on the road, and 10 of their next 15 over the next month are away from home. ... Including playoffs, Miami’s winning percentage against Washington is 69%, which is the best the Heat have against any franchise. Miami has won 66% of its games, against Sacramento.
