The Miami Heat (20 - 13) stifled the Washington Wizards (15 - 17) en route to a 97 - 75 win on Sunday night. The key to Miami's success this season has been their defense and it was dominant on Sunday. They held Washington to just 34 percent shooting from the field and 14 percent from long distance. The difference in the game was the second quarter, in which Miami scored 25 points while holding Washington to just seven points. The Heat also dominated the rebounding, as they won that battle 54 - 45. These teams are going in opposite directions right now and this result is indicative of the two teams recent play. Miami has the second - best defense in the NBA and they did a heck of a job today if slowing down a potent Wizards attack. Hassan Whiteside was a beast once again down low, as he added to his league - leading block total with another six swats in this game. Chris Bosh was the star of the game though, as he scored 23 points and snatched down seven rebounds. Most people wondered how a veteran team like this would perform this season, but they are simply slowing games down and winning with stingy defense. That's a recipe for a deep playoff run and the Heat have the players with the experience to guide them there. It's good the veteran starters got to rest late in this game, as they play the second half of a back - to - back on Monday against the Indiana Pacers. This was a disappointing result for a team who has been a disappointment all season. After breaking out last year, they appear to be regressing in a much deeper Eastern Conference. Blowout losses like this at home are a bad sign for future endeavors and one has to wonder if their rub last year was a fluke. They have now lost three of their last four games with the offense really struggling. No player scored more than 14 points and the only notable line was a double - double from Marcin Gortat. It doesn’t get much easier for Washington, as they have to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in their next scheduled game.
["PlayerStat(G,'Chris Bosh') has 23 Blocks ,has 7 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 6 Blocks ,has 6 Points ."]