Wade, O’Neal help Heat torch Wizards

Shaquille O’Neal added 28 points and 10 boards while Antoine Walker contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat, who have won three of their last four games.

Gilbert Arenas went off for a career-high 47 points, handed out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds before fouling out for the Wizards, who have dropped two straight following a three-game winning streak. Arenas ended 15- of-29 from the floor and 13-of-14 from the foul line.

Antawn Jamison had 20 points and Caron Butler added 19 points and nine rebounds in the loss.

Miami has won both meetings this year and has taken 10 straight in the series. In addition, the Heat have won five straight and 12 of their last 15 games in the nation’s capital.

"We had an extremely good offensive game," said Heat coach Pat Riley. "Antoine [Walker] broke out a little bit and it was a good win especially after the loss last night in Detroit."

Trailing by two points after three periods, Miami opened the final quarter in strong fashion to take control.

The Heat used a 6-0 run to start the quarter, keyed by four from Walker, to forge ahead 97-93 with just over 10 minutes left.

Leading 100-98 moments later, Miami then reeled off 11 consecutive points to grab a 13-point edge and put the game out of reach. O’Neal scored four points and Walker added a three-pointer during the run, as the Heat seized a 111-98 lead with 5:40 to go.

Washington did not get any closer than nine points.

"We played hard, but they played harder," said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan. "They made plays and we couldn’t make plays at the offensive end. I thought we competed very hard, but we couldn’t keep up with their offense."

Miami led 34-28 after one quarter and took a 61-55 edge into the locker room. The Wizards, though, battled back in the third period and held a 93-91 edge after 36 minutes.

Game Notes

Miami hit on 55 percent of its shots, while the Wizards made only 38 percent of their field goal attempts...Wade made 18-of-21 free throws while O’Neal was 11-of-15 from the floor...Gary Payton had 10 points and seven assists in the win...Etan Thomas finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.