MIAMI — Shooting guard Bradley Beal had a key steal and dunk to lead the Washington Wizards past the Miami Heat 114-103 on Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Beal, who had 21 points, stripped Heat guard Dwyane Wade of the ball at midcourt and then beat him down the court, slamming the ball to punctuate the play that snapped a 103-103 tie.
Washington overcame productive games by the Heat’s backcourt — Wade had 26 points and nine assists, and Goran Dragic had 20 points and nine assists.
Heat forward Chris Bosh, upset with the officiating, was ejected in the final minute. Bosh finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The Wizards (9-10) were led by point guard John Wall, who had 26 points and seven assists. Forward Otto Porter had 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Eight of Porter’s rebounds came in the first quarter.
Wizards guard Gary Neal, slowed by a groin injury, came off the bench to add 21 points.
Miami, which had its modest two-game win streak snapped, concluded a disappointing 2-2 homestand.
The Wizards, who led by as many as 14 points in the first half, took a 29-19 lead after the opening quarter.
Miami cut its deficit to 60-55 at halftime. The Heat’s 36 points in the second quarter was Miami’s best offensive period of the season.
The Heat shot 60.5 percent in the first half, helped by center Hassan Whiteside, who six for six from the floor — all on dunks. Whiteside finished the game with 14 points.
But the Wizards, who had a 10-6 edge in fast-break points and were plus-six on rebounds, were able to retain the lead.
Miami led by as many as seven points in the third quarter before the Wizards rallied to take an 87-84 advantage into the fourth.
NOTES: Wizards PG John Wall, who banged his left knee Sunday, was in the starting lineup. … Washington was without C Marcin Gortat (personal) and F Nene (calf). … Three more Wizards were in uniform but hobbled: G Gary Neal (groin), F Kris Humphries (ankle) and F Drew Gooden (calf). … The Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers have each played 14 home games, the most in the NBA. … Heat SF Gerald Green replaced SF Luol Deng (hamstring) in the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game. … Miami went into the game wanting to slow Washington’s break-neck speed. “They are third in pace and second in fast-break points,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “If you’ve followed them the past couple of weeks, they’ve been playing super small lineups with small forwards at center. It’s making their game even quicker.”