Big Fourth Quarter Lifts Heat in Opener

The Miami Heat began the regular season with a 107-95 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

The Heat scored 35 points in the fourth quarter to distance themselves from the Wizards. Miami outscored Washington by 11 in the second half after entering halftime with a slim one-point lead.

Chris Bosh showed right away that he will play a bigger role this season with an explosive game. The star tallied 26 points and 15 in 39 minutes. Bosh also added three assists, a steal and a block as he filled the stat sheet. Bosh was 3-4 from three-point range as well which was needed as the Heat were only 5-24 as a team on treys.

Dwyane Wade had a quiet night until the fourth quarter when he came alive and helped the Heat extend their lead. For the game, Wade finished with 21 points, and 3 assists in 31 minutes. Wade was 2-3 on three-pointers with both makes coming towards the end of the game to put it out of reach. The guard had 12 points in the final quarter and was very efficient down the stretch.

Norris Cole ended up making the start for the Heat which was expected after he was the starting point guard for most of the preseason. Cole did the most he could with the opportunity as he put together 23 points while shooting 9-15.

Shawne Williams had a tough night filling in for Josh McRoberts who missed the opener after not playing in the preseason. McRoberts is still recovering from off-season toe surgery but is not expected to miss much more time. Williams was only 1-9 on his field goal attempts and a paltry 0-6 on threes. The forward ended up three points, six rebounds and three assists.

Chris Andersen was productive off the bench with six boards and seven points in 24 minutes. The veteran was a perfect 2-2 on his attempts and also picked up a pair of steals along the way.