Wizards stun LeBron James, Heat for second win of season

• Washington Wizards beat Miami Heat 105-101 Tuesday night
• Jordan Crawford had 22 points including three free throws in final 11 seconds for Wizards
• LeBron James had triple-double but missed crucial three-pointer late

WASHINGTON — Miami Heat forward LeBron James had a triple-double — his first of the year — with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Guard Dwyane Wade had 20 points. Forward Chris Bosh had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Normally, that is the equation for a Heat victory against any team in the league, let alone the Washington Wizards, the team with the worst record in the league.

But with Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III sitting courtside next to the Wizards' bench and bringing a little of his magic to a team in dire need of it, the Wizards defeated the defending champion Heat 105-101 Tuesday.

"I told them before the game that we needed a statement win, and what better way to do that than to beat this team," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

Washington is now 2-13 with one of them more improbable victories in this young season, and oddly, it was Washington's third consecutive victory against Miami, counting two games late last season.

Wittman called the victory one of the most satisfying of his career.

"It's got to rank right up there. I'm not going to lie to you guys, with all the circumstances involved. I'll be able to sleep tonight," Wittman said of season that began with a franchise-worst 12-game losing streak.

But any way it's broken down, the Wizards have the worst offense the league. Entering the game, they were:

• Last in field goal shooting percentage at 40.8%.
• Second to last in three-point shooting percentage at 30.6%.
• Last in points per game 90.4 and last in points per 100 possessions at 93.9.

Against Miami, Washington found offense with a season-high in points in regulation and assists (31) and equaled its season-high in shooting percentage (48.1%). They also scored a season-high for points in the first half with 60.

"That's as good as we've moved the ball all season," Wittman said.

Added rookie guard Bradley Beal, "Throughout the whole week of practice, that's literally all we've been doing. Passing the ball up the court. Moving the ball. Making sure everyone basically touches it. When you do that, it gets the defense moving and they get tired quick. It's a great strategy for us."

These Wizards might just be learning, after all.

Reserve guard Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 22 points and six assists, and reserve forward Kevin Seraphin added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Washington's bench outscored Miami's bench 64-31.

"This shows how good of a team we are and how good we can be," Crawford said. "Confidence is key, and this is going to help us the rest of the season."

The Wizards led 71-59 in the third quarter and held off Miami's fourth-quarter rally. Miami had several chances to either tie the score or take the lead late in the fourth quarter. James missed a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left that could have tied the score at 104, and forward Mike Miller and James missed shots on the same possession that would have tied or given Miami the lead with less than 60 seconds to play.

"We all know the lesson. You can only go to the well so many times, and it is a full, 48-minute game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It doesn't matter who you play against, you have to compete for all those 48 minutes."

As stunning as the outcome was, it may have coming for Miami. The Heat have had two close wins recently against inferior opponents: 110-108 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 24 and 105-100 against the San Antonio Spurs, who played infamously without center Tim Duncan, guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and guard-forward Danny Green.

"These are the kind of games we've been playing," Wade said. "It's not out of the ordinary for us."

Spoelstra would rather not learn lessons with losses, but said, "Unfortunately, that's the way lessons get imprinted into your conscious stronger than anything else."

The potent Heat offense has been minimized by its uncharacteristically soft defense. The Heat were without backup point guard Norris Cole because of a groin strain, and starting point guard Mario Chalmers played 10 minutes after injuring his hand.

But even without Chalmers and Cole, this is a game the Heat should win.

Now, the Heat face the New York Knicks Thursday in a key Eastern Conference game. The Knicks, who beat Miami in the season opener, are tied with the Heat at 12-4.

"We have to respect the game, respect what we're capable of doing," Spoelstra said. "Anybody can anybody in this league on any night. It doesn't matter what your resume is. These are long games, and you have to compete and work the game.

"We'll take this to heart and move on."

Contributing: Kevin Spain