Game Info

When: Friday, January 4 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time
Where American Airlines Arena
TV: NBC Sports Washington

Injury Report

Wizards: Markieff Morris (Out, Neck), John Wall (Out, Heel), Dwight Howard (Out, Back)

Heat: Dwyane Wade (Questionable, Illness), Goran Dragic (Out, Right Knee)

What to Watch for

Wizards are even with the Heat this season

The Wizards have won a game and lost a game to the Heat this season. Washington salvaged their road trip back in November with a 116-100 win against Miami after losing to them in a heart-breaking fashion in their October season opener. How could we forget Kelly Olynyk’s last-second winning shot?

In their last win against Miami, the Wizards had John Wall and Dwight Howard who were key factors in the team’s victory. Wall led the team in points and assists and Dwight led in rebounds. We’ve seen Thomas Bryant and Tomas Satoransky step up in their absences and there is no doubt that they will need more of that to help Washington pull off their third consecutive win.

Carpe diem is written all over Thomas and Tomas

There is no denying that Thomas Bryant and Tomas Satoransky are adjusting well to their new assignments as starters. In the Wizards’ last game, both were behind Beal in total points scored with Bryant scoring 16 and Satoransky adding 14.

“He’s getting some opportunities, and he’s earned it”, said Brooks after Bryant’s performance against the Hawks. “He’s playing well, and we’re going to continue to need it, and we need a good TB on the road because we have a bunch of tough road games coming up.”

Bryant grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and Satoransky added 11 boards in their win against Atlanta on Wednesday evening.

Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

“He’s about winning, said Brooks following the Hawks game. “He’s a winner. He’s just about winning, making good plays. He’ll be the first to tell you that he only focuses on helping the team win. He’d love to have three more assists tonight--he probably won’t tell you that--to get the triple-double. He just plays hard. You just love the way he plays, he gives you great effort. He just makes the right reads. He has a pure heart, and just he wants to do the right thing. He’s a great teammate who plays hard every night.”

These two are seizing their opportunities. Leave them in, Coach!

A random moment in Wizards - Heat history: Bradley Beal and Dwyane Wade battle it out in overtime duel