The Miami Heat finish up a brief two-game road trip on Monday with what promises to be an entertaining early-season Eastern Conference clash with the Washington Wizards (10-5).
Miami has won three of its last four to climb two games over the .500 mark, while the Wizards will look to go 2-0 on their current four-game home stand after nipping the New Orleans Pelicans 83-80 on Saturday.
Projected Starting Lineups
Miami Heat
PG: Norris Cole – 6.9 ppg, 3.3 apg
SG: Dwyane Wade – 20.6 ppg, 6.2 apg
SF: Luol Deng – 14.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
PF: Shawne Williams – 10.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg
C: Chris Bosh – 21.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg
Washington Wizards
PG: John Wall – 18.1 ppg, 9.1 apg, 4.3 apg
SG: Bradley Beal – 14.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.2 apg
SF: Paul Pierce – 13.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg
PF: Kris Humphries – 6.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg
C: Marcin Gortat – 13.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg
What to Watch For:
As John Wall goes, so do the Wizards
Not only does Wall lead the Wizards in points per game (18.1) and PER (19.7), he's also fourth in the entire NBA with 9.1 assists per contest. No other Washington player averages more than 3.2 dimes per game (Bradley Beal). The Wizards excel with Wall controlling all facets of the team's offensive pace, balancing his role as facilitator and #1 scoring option. He's done a splendid job of wearing both hats this season, leading the Wizards to an impressive .666 win percentage to open 2014-15.
Bosh and Wade are one heck of a duo without LeBron
Both Chris Bosh (22.39, 20th) and Dwyane Wade (24.20, 9th) are currently in the top-20 of the NBA's Player Efficiency Rating rankings - making Miami one of only four teams in the NBA with two players with PERs that high (Golden State, Toronto, Dallas being the others).
What that means for Miami is that Bosh and Wade have found an incredible balance as a duo on the floor in South Beach, pushing a Heat team in transition into the early conversation as Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
Prediction: Wizards win 101-98
Call it a toss-up, with the Washington Wizards' duo of Beal & Wall getting the slight nod over the Miami Heat's twosome of Wade & Bosh due to home floor and the sometimes-unsung contributions of Marcin Gortat in the frontcourt. One thing's for sure, however...this will be a fun one in D.C.