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
Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.
Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Tyler Herro: Available – Toe
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle
Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
TIMBERWOLVES
Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot
Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot
Joan Beringer: Out – G League
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: TV: Peacock,
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
TIMBERWOLVES
G Donte DiVincenzo
G Anthony Edwards
C Rudy Gobert
F Jaden McDaniels
F Julius Randle
Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)
Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198
Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)
QUOTABLE
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
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 Twitter: @tropicalblanket
Miami, FL
Man shot during $22,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested
Three men were arrested Saturday after a robbery inside a Miami clothing store left a man shot and hospitalized, according to Miami police and arrest affidavits.
The incident happened Friday afternoon in Miami’s popular Design District neighborhood.
Police said officers were dispatched around 4:20 p.m. Friday to the area of Miami Avenue and Northeast 41st Street after receiving reports of a man who had been shot. Officers found the victim, who told them he had been robbed and shot while shopping inside a Supreme store located at 45 NE 41st Street.
According to investigators, the victim said he was approached by three suspects inside the store, including one person with whom he had a prior conflict originating from the Atlanta area. Police said an argument broke out, and one suspect forcibly removed a gold chain from the victim’s neck. The chain was valued at approximately $22,000, according to police.
As the suspect ran out of the store, the victim attempted to chase him, police said. During the pursuit, an unidentified male shot the victim once in the stomach. The suspects then fled the area in a white Mercedes-Benz, according to the arrest affidavits.
Miami Police detectives later located the suspect vehicle parked near Northeast 10th Avenue and Northeast 91st Terrace. Police said they conducted surveillance and observed the suspects abandon the vehicle and walk through a nearby residential area before entering a home in the 800 block of Northeast 90th Street.
A residential search warrant was executed, resulting in the arrest of three suspects. During the search, detectives recovered the victim’s gold chain, keys to the suspect vehicle, and clothing believed to have been worn during the robbery, police said.
The suspects were identified as Jamar McKay, 25, Omarion Phillips, 20, and Kevieon Smith, 21. McKay was charged with armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon. Phillips and Smith were charged as accessories after the fact, with Smith also facing an additional firearms-related charge, according to court records.
“This arrest sends a clear message: violent crime will not be tolerated in the City of Miami,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “Individuals who commit acts of violence in our city will be identified, located, and held fully accountable.”
Miami, FL
Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations
Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix
Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix on Jan. 5, 2026, ahead of their matchup with the Ole Miss Rebels at the 2026 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
The Miami Hurricanes are looking to buck a bad trend. They’re 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Coach Mario Cristobal’s team gets its fifth shot this week as Miami (12-2) squares off against Mississippi (13-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at State Farm Stadium. The school may be 0-4 historically, but there is plenty at stake. This Fiesta Bowl is serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Hurricanes, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff field, arrived at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Ragsdale Executive Terminal of Sky Harbor Airport. The opposing team is expected 24 hours later.
The gathered crowd of 100 or so was made of members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, easily identifiable in their yellow jackets, and their families.
In the past, there had been a welcome event in a tent adjacent to the runway. The coach typically made an opening statement, but players and coaches walked off the plane and straight to their buses parked nearby.
Players, dressed in white sweatsuits, filed off their American Airlines flight in single file on a blue carpet.
The players will take part in a media day on Jan. 6 at a Scottsdale hotel, with the coaches talking to the media the following day, the eve of the contest.
The Hurricanes enter on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Their last loss came on Nov. 1 against SMU, a game decided in double overtime 26-20. They have surrendered just 17 points in their two postseason games.
The winner advances to the national championship game on Jan. 19 against the winner of the other semifinal, the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.
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