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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Alonzo Mourning's plus-minus rating, to borrow
a statistic from hockey, can't get much better. Wednesday, he
gave the Miami Heat just enough minutes to lead them to victory.
In his best game since returning from a kidney disease, Mourning
had season-highs of 16 points and eight rebounds in a 86-84 victory
over the Washington Wizards.
"That's a popular question, man. 'How do you feel? How you
feel?' I felt OK," Mourning said. "It's not really a huge concern
about how I feel. I just go out there and play the game. ... I'm
just waiting for my body to catch up, got to continue to be patient
and continue to stay the course and work as hard as I can.
Eventually, everything will gradually fall into place for me."
In his fifth game back, Mourning played 23 minutes, matching the
season high he played against Boston the night before. The Heat
outscored the Wizards by 11 points when he was in the game. Against
the Celtics, Mourning's presence was worth a plus-18 in a game the
Heat lost by five.
"He's coming along," coach Pat Riley said. "Now I can
probably take a lid off the minutes, as to how he feels."
Mourning was 8-for-11 from the field, and he carried his team in
the first half. Tim Hardaway didn't score until late in the second
quarter and Dan Majerle didn't score until late in the third
quarter, although both had key 3-pointers in Miami's big
second-half run.
"He'll still as aggressive as he's ever been," said Wizards
center Jahidi White, grading Mourning's performance. "If he's
playing this good now, by playoff time he should be just awesome."
But the Heat, who have struggled in the fourth quarter lately,
made the finish exciting once again by nearly blowing a 15-point
lead. The Wizards had a chance to tie on their final possession,
but Courtney Alexander's jump shot hit the rim and went over the
backboard with less than a second left.
"Every fourth quarter has been a nightmare for us," Riley
said. "Our execution just hasn't been there."
Brian Grant had 16 points and Hardaway finished with 15 for the
Heat, who are 2-3 with Mourning in the lineup. They beat the
Wizards for the 11th consecutive time and moved into a tie with the
idle New York Knicks for second place in the Atlantic Division.
The Wizards lost for the eighth time in 10 games, with both
victories against Golden State. The only Washington player with a
decent all-around game was Alexander, who went one-on-one against
president of basketball operations Michael Jordan at practice
Monday.
Alexander made 10 of 21 shots for 25 points. Richard Hamilton
had 16 points for the Wizards, but missed 16 of his 21 shots.
The game had an awful start. The Wizards were 0-for-7 shooting
with four turnovers over the first 3{ minutes. The Heat, who had
seven turnovers in the first quarter, endured a four-minute scoring
drought.
Mourning and Alexander, both coming off the bench, saved the
game.
Alexander ended the first quarter with a fadeaway 19-footer at
the buzzer. Alexander was 6-for-9 with 14 points at halftime; the
rest of the Wizards were a combined 12-for-38.
Mourning entered the game midway through the first quarter when
starting center Grant picked up his second foul. He scored two
quick baskets and had three dunks, 10 points and six rebounds at
the break.
Neither team led by more than six until the Heat hit three
consecutive 3-pointers -- one by Majerle and two by Hardaway -- to break
a 56-all tie and start a 15-6 run at the end of the third quarter.
Hardaway's 21-footer at the buzzer put Miami ahead 71-62 going into
the fourth.
The Heat started the final period with a 9-3 run, then went 5:53
without scoring. The Wizards closed to 84-82 when Alexander made
three free throws -- one resulting from a technical foul on Anthony
Mason -- with 1:53 remaining.
But Grant made an 18-footer with one minute remaining to put the
Heat up by four. White scored an inside basket with 39 seconds left
for the Wizards, but that was the last score of the game. Majerle
missed a 3-pointer on Miami's next possession to give Washington a
chance, but Alexander couldn't make his final shot.
No Washington player on the court has ever played in a Wizards
victory over the Heat, which last occurred on April 17, 1998.
"It seems like in the Miami games, we're always close," White
said. "But we never pull it off."
Game notes
Wizards guard Mitch Richmond was placed on the injured list
with a sprained knee, meaning he's probably played his last game
with the Wizards. Tyrone Nesby was activated. ... The Wizards
missed all five 3-point attempts. ... The Heat had just five free
throws, making four of them.
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NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
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RECAPS
Miami 86
Washington 84
Phoenix 103
Charlotte 94
Toronto 97
Cleveland 94
Philadelphia 90
Detroit 84
Orlando 108
Boston 101
Minnesota 83
Portland 79
Vancouver 86
LA Clippers 78
Milwaukee 108
Golden State 78
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