The last thing the Wizards would be advised to do before playing Miami is mistake the recent struggles of the talented Heat for actual weakness.
The Heat (9-8) have the same record as Washington (5-10) over the last 10 games — 4-6 — but the two teams aren’t on equal footing. LeBron James and friends still expect to win an NBA championship this season. The Wizards, even after losing by only one point to Orlando last weekend, still are trying to prove they aren’t going to get blown out every time they face an opponent with a winning record.
Miami has lost four of its last five games, the last of which inspired a 40-minute, players-only have-it-out session Saturday. The Wizards, whose visit to Florida starts a stretch of five out of six on the road — it also includes a Dec. 7 visit to the Los Angeles Lakers — know the timing could spell trouble.
“They still are a great team,” Wizards guard Nick Young said. “They’ve got some great players, and you can’t go in there thinking, ‘You know, because they been down, we’re going to get one.’ They could come out and embarrass us. We’re going to go out there still with the mindset that they’re an elite team.”
| Up next |
| Wizards at Heat |
| Where » American Airlines Arena, Miami |
| When » Monday, 7:30 p.m. |
| TV » Comcast SportsNet |
Against the Magic, the rebuilding Wizards showed for the first time that they are capable of running with the NBA’s best, even without John Wall, who has missed a third of his rookie season so far with various injuries, the latest a bruised left knee.
Asked about Wall’s breakneck style of play, Wizards coach Flip Saunders compared the rookie point guard to one of the Heat stars, one who also has spent significant time out injured during parts of his career.
“It’s just like Dwyane Wade,” Saunders said. “You can’t change how a guy plays because that’s who they are.”
Without Wall, other players have stepped up. Young continues to be an offensive spark off the bench, averaging 16.8 points in his last eight games and a career-high 11.8 points a game this season. Gilbert Arenas scored a season-high 31 points against Orlando.
“I got my wind, and my legs are back,” said Arenas, who has regained his fitness slowly after missing the end of preseason and the start of the regular season with ankle and knee issues. “So as you can see tonight that I’m attacking the basket again. Now it’s just keep progressing.”
