Miami, FL
Takeaways From Miami Heat Vs. Washington Wizards
The Miami Heat blew out the Washington Wizards 120-94, bringing their record to 34-41.
They are in control of the ninth seed in the East and just 1.5 games behind the eighth seed.
The win against the 16-59 Wizards (16-59) extended the Heat’s win streak to five.
Here are some of the bigger takeaways from the game:
Stars Aligned
The Heat’s stars shined bright, taking on the scoring and playmaking load. Bam Adebayo finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal. Tyler Herro missed all six of his threes, but still finished with 27 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Adebayo set the tone, scoring 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting in the first quarter alone. He showed a bit of everything, converting on two threes, two middies, four shots in the paint and three in the restricted area, while getting to the free throw line seven times. On top of that, he finished with a superb 5 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Herro again showed he can excel when being run off the three-point line as so many teams have opted to do this season, converting on nine of his 13 twos and having gotten to the free throw line nine times. He finished with a solid 5 to 2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Layup Line
After the Heat spent the last five games prior to this one making more than half of their threes, they finally cooled against the Wizards, converting on just 28 percent of their long-range shots. This ended up not mattering not only because the Heat made 17 more twos, (38/61 compared to 21/43).
They did a great job finding easy baskets at the rim against the porous Wizards defense, finishing with 12 more made layups on 10 more attempts. Meanwhile, the Wizards finished with a below average amount of twos taken, while taking an 89th percentile amount of threes, converting on just 30 percent of them.
This was the biggest difference between the Heat finishing with a 113.5 offensive rating (about league-average) compared to the Wizards’ third-percentile 90.4 offensive rating. The Heat surprisingly dominating the rebound battle, (62 to 39, including 10 more offensive rebounds and twice as many second-chance attempts), definitely was a factor in how they controlled the paint all night.
Stockholm Syndrome
Pelle Larsson had another impactful game as a starter, as he finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists and a steal. Larsson has been stuffing the stat sheet with the increased role, (60 minutes over last two games as starter), having ended last game with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and four steals.
Despite how much he’s being left open from three, Larsson finds a way to be a positive on both ends of the floor anyways. When teams help too hard off of him, he counters with strong spacial awareness as a cutter and as a relentless straight-line driver. He contributed his typical rugged brand of defensive playmaking tonight while converting on seven of nine twos, all while finishing with a solid five-to-two assist-to-turnover ratio, mostly playing off the catch.
The Heat’s offensive rating was about 37 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor tonight, mostly because of the difference in offensive rebound percentage as well as assist-to-turnover ratio, two categories in which Larsson had strong contributions.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at toledoalexander22@gmail.com. Twitter: @tropicalblanket
Miami, FL
Who is Rueben Bain Jr\ufeff? Miami Hurricanes draft prospect visits Bengals
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor at the NFL’s annual meetings
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor discussed a number of topics at the NFL’s annual meetings during the AFC head coach breakfast
2026 NFL draft prospects Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech and Rueben Bain Jr. of University of Miami visited the Cincinnati Bengals on April 10, according to NFL Network, along with fellow Miami Hurricanes edge Akheem Mesidor.
Nicknamed “Hurricane,” Bain is expected to be selected in the first round of the upcoming draft, and could be gone when the Bengals are scheduled to select at 10th overall.
Todd McShay has said he expects the Bengals to strongly consider Bain with the 10th pick. Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice has the Bengals taking Bain at No. 10.
“The Bengals go with the antithesis of their first-round selection from a year ago, trading the high-end tools and low-end production of Shemar Stewart with the top-end production and effort but lack of ideal length of Bain,” Tice wrote. “If Stewart taps into even a small portion of his talent and with Boye Mafe joining in free agency, the Bengals’ edge spots could be more impactful in a hurry and feel a lot different soon.”
What to know about Bain, who was a college teammate of Bengals offensive lineman Jalen Rivers for two seasons:
Bain played three seasons for the Hurricanes.
As a junior in 2025, Bain was named second-team Associated Press All-American, ACC defensive player of the year and first-team All-ACC.
Bain started all 16 games in his final season at Miami, recording 54 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss with 9.5 sacks, an interception, a pass breakup and a forced fumble).
Bain earned the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually to college football’s top defensive end. He was a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the nation’s top defender with Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity.
As a sophomore in 2024, Bain was named honorable mention all-ACC. He started nine games, and missed four games because of an injury.
A freshman All-American, Bain was named third-team all-ACC and ACC defensive rookie of the year in his first season with the ‘Canes. He led the team that season with three forced fumbles, and tied for the team lead with 7.5 sacks.
Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Bain is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Graham.
“Note taker, grudge holder and block destructor with a compact frame and defensive tackle play strength,” Zierlein wrote in Bain’s NFL.com draft profile. “Bain is ill-tempered with his take-ons, hitting blockers with heavy hand strikes. … Bain’s explosive power and toughness should translate, giving him a high floor as an NFL starter.”
Daniel Jeremiah compares Bain to former NFL linebacker Melvin Ingram.
A USA Today mock draft had Bain going ninth overall, to the Chiefs.
Interestingly, Bain visited Kansas City one day before his reported Cincinnati visit.
Bain has dismissed post-combine discussion of his arm length. At 30 7/8 inches, Bain’s arms are among the shortest in the class.
“I didn’t hear it until later in the year, but it kind of surprised me because I never heard it all my life,” Bain said at the combine. “I don’t give it the time of day, honestly.”
“Mike Tyson, he wasn’t the tallest guy, wasn’t the longest-limbed guy, but when you felt him, you felt him,” Bain told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “You kept your distance.”
Miami, FL
Police investigate 2 Miami scenes after a shooting that left a man hospitalized
A man is in the hospital after being shot in Liberty City on Wednesday evening, prompting a police investigation that spans two scenes, according to the Miami Police Department (MPD).
The victim, a man in his late 40s, was located at a second scene after the initial gunfire and was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center via ground transport under a “trauma alert”.
The shooting investigation began after MPD received a ShotSpotter alert around 7:21 p.m.. The first scene, where crime scene investigators were seen taking photos outside an apartment building, is along Northwest 58th Street and 13th Avenue. When officers arrived, they found shell casings but no victim.
A short time later, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office contacted Miami police regarding a second location—Northwest 69th Street and 21st Avenue—tied to the same alert. The victim was found at this second location before being taken to the hospital.
It remains unclear how the victim ended up at the second location. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
Miami, FL
American Airlines Eyes April 30 Return to Venezuela With Miami–Caracas Flights
DALLAS — American Airlines (AA) announced today plans to resume daily nonstop service between Miami (MIA) and Caracas (CCS) as early as April 30. The restart depends on final government approval, security checks, and operational readiness. Envoy Air, American’s regional subsidiary, will operate the route with Embraer 175 aircraft.
The Fort Worth-based carrier continues to coordinate with authorities in both the United States and Venezuela to restore the route. In January, AA announced its intention to be the first airline to reconnect Venezuela with the United States, emphasizing that service would begin only after regulatory approval and security assessments.
American began serving Venezuela in 1987 and was the largest U.S. airline in the country before suspending operations in 2019. Chief Commercial Officer Nat Pieper described the return to Caracas as both a restoration of a long-standing market and a strategic extension of Miami’s role as AA’s primary Latin America gateway.
This announcement follows the U.S. Department of State’s March 19, 2026 update, which lowered Venezuela’s travel advisory to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” but continues to warn of risks such as crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and inadequate health infrastructure. Routine consular services in Venezuela remain suspended, with most services provided through the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá as the United States begins a phased resumption of embassy operations.
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