Jimmy Butler had his second triple-double in the past three games and the sixth of his career, posting 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and leading the host Miami Heat to a 112-103 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
The Heat set a franchise record by starting the season 9-0 at home.
Miami also got impressive performances from center Bam Adebayo and rookie guard Tyler Herro. Adebayo had a career-high 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while Herro finished with 22 points.
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal, who entered the game fifth in the league in scoring, had 23 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Davis Bertans added 19 points and 10 rebounds off the Washington bench, making 5 of 13 attempts from 3-point range. Wizards center Moritz Wagner had 19 points and nine rebounds.
Miami was without two of its rotation players, forward Justise Winslow (back) and point guard Goran Dragic (groin).
The Wizards were without point guards Isaiah Thomas (calf) and John Wall (Achilles), wings Jordan McRae (finger) and C.J. Miles (wrist), and centers Ian Mahinmi (Achilles) and Thomas Bryant (foot).
The Heat never led in the first quarter, and Washington went up by as many as six points. By the end of the period, Miami had cut its deficit to 28-27.
Washington assembled a 12-0 second-quarter run, taking a 40-29 lead, but Miami cut the gap to 65-61 by halftime.
Both teams shot just under 55 percent in the high-scoring first half, although Washington (9 of 18) was better from the 3-point arc than Miami (5 of 13). The Heat, though, had a 24-14 edge on rebounds.
The lead changed hands five times in the third quarter, but Miami ended the period with an 86-85 advantage.
Miami guard Kendrick Nunn, the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November, made a layup with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter, and the Heat never trailed again.
--Field Level Media
