Bosh has 23, leads Heat over Wizards 97-75

Miami has won back-to-back games and played superb defense Sunday while recording a 97-75 victory over the Washington Wizards.

After the game, Washington center Marcin Gortat called Whiteside the best shot-blocker he’s seen since he’s been in the National Basketball Association.

Chris Bosh paced the Heat (20-13) with a game-high 23 points and Goran Dragic contributed 18 points, but it was Hassan Whiteside, who finished with six points and 13 rebounds, who provided the biggest impact. Gortat added 12 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.

Considering that Gortat has been in the league for almost a decade, these words of praise definitely mean something. But the one catalyst has been John Wall.

ABOUT THE PACERS (19-14): Forward Paul George has rediscovered his shooting stroke and topped 30 points in each of the past two games – including 32 points against the Pistons when he scored 21 in the fourth quarter.

Bosh led all scorers with 23 points, including a tear of seven straight points in under a minute early in the 4th quarter. “There was a time, believe it or not, when the East was better than the West”.

The Wizards came to Miami last month and scored 114 points in a win over the Heat. Just six of 15 teams in the West are better than.500.

The two teams had virtually an identical opening quarter in regards to statistics, but that changed drastically once the second period began. “He’s really challenging a lot of shots and changing the whole game”. That lack of production helped Miami keep a lead of at least 14 points for the rest of the game, eventually holding a 73-51 lead after three quarters. They scored six in the fourth quarter at Charlotte on November 25.

Washington was already laboring offensively in the second quarter when guard Ramon Sessions’ floater cut Miami’s lead to 39-31 with 5:35 remaining in the half.

Wizards: F Drew Gooden, who reinjured his strained right calf in his first game back on Friday after not playing since November 17, was out.

The Wizards square off against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Wednesday.