NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Miami Heat's win over Washington Wizards

Final Score: Miami Heat defeat Washington Wizards 115-109

With two straight wins to their name, the Washington Wizards entered American Airlines Center for a matchup against the Miami Heat. The Heat have won 11 of their last 16 games and are placed at the sixth spot in the NBA Eastern Conference.

Even though it was a close game at halftime with Heat taking a 61-58 lead, a strong third quarter helped the Heat get the win at home. In this article, let us take a look at three of the talking points from the Miami Heat's win over the Washington Wizards.

#3 Bradley Beal's strong performance

Stat line: 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists on 40.0 % shooting

Even though the Washington Wizards are having a nightmare kind of a season, Bradley Beal has been phenomenal and is averaging career-high figures. With John Wall out for the season, a huge responsibility is on Beal's shoulders to carry the team on his back offensively.

Two nights after his 24-point performance in the win against the Atlanta Hawks, Beal was once again in his elements, this time against the Heat. He started the game hot scoring 10 points in the first quarter. However, he did not get the kind of help he would have liked and the Heat took the 31-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Beal had a good all-round game as he finished with 33 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists on 10-for-25 shooting. This was Beal's eighth game with 30 or more points this season. Despite the 25-year-old's strong performance, the Wizards could not get a win on the road. This was Wizards' eighth-straight road loss.

#2 Poor three-point shooting display from both the teams

While the Miami Heat are one of the top 10 teams in three-point shooting this season, the Washington Wizards are one of the worst teams in the league in three-point shooting. In the offseason, the Heat re-signed veteran sharpshooter Wayne Ellington for one more year, but the 31-year-old has missed most of the game this year due to injuries.

In Miami, both the teams struggled shooting from behind the arc which is very evident from the statistics. While Heat shot 9-for-29 (31%) from the three-point line, the Wizards only combined for 10-for-36 (27.8%) from long range.

In particular, the Wizards' bench combined for 1-for-9 with Otta Porter Jr. (0-for-5) and Chasson Randle (1-for-4). Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal were the only players who could get it going as they went 9-for-23 from downtown. For the Heat, Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson combined for 0-for-6 and Josh Richardson went 2-for-8 from distance.

#1 Hassan Whiteside's monster double-double performance

Stat line: 21 points, 18 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks on 69.2 % shooting

With the kind of talent Hassan Whiteside has, the sky is the limit for him. However, the 29-year-old has been struggling this season and is receiving a lot of criticism from the fans. It is noteworthy to mention that the center signed a four-year, $98 million deal after the end of 2015-16 season and is currently in his third year into the contract.

Against the Wizards, Whiteside turned the tables and completely dominated with his strong performance. He scored 21 points and snagged 18 rebounds to put together a double-double. He also outplayed the Wizards' rim protector, Thomas Bryant.

It was Whiteside who kept the Heat alive in this close game. He also accumulated a steal and blocked two shots on the night.