Wizards breeze past Heat

Butler, who shot 12-of-19 from the floor, also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists. Arenas finished 10-of-23 and pulled down six boards and had six helpers.

Antawn Jamison netted 22 points with 10 rebounds and five blocks for the Wizards, who have won two straight and snapped a 12-game losing streak against Miami.

Washington finished 49 percent shooting.

James Posey led the Heat with 26 points off the bench while Alonzo Mourning added 17 points and eight boards in defeat. Antoine Walker added 12 points for Miami.

The Heat, which have dropped two in a row and five of their last eight, shot 41 percent from the field.

The Wizards got going right away with a 12-2 spurt in the opening 3:20 of the first quarter. Then, after Chris Quinn’s driving layup cut Miami’s deficit to 30-17 with 1:45 left, Washington fired off 10 straight points for a 23-point advantage after one.

Trailing 46-21 early in the second, the Heat went on an 11-1 run led by nine points from Posey to cut within 15. With 3:47 remaining, Posey drilled a pair of threes and Quinn added one of his own to make it a 55-44 contest.

Miami got as close as nine late in the frame, but Arenas’ driving layup gave the Wizards a 60-49 halftime lead.

Posey’s three-pointer capped an 8-0 scamper by the Heat to start the third and cut it to 60-57. However, Washington scored six of the next seven points and maintained its lead en route to an 83-76 edge entering the final quarter.

In the fourth, Gary Payton’s jumper closed it to a five-point game, 94-89, but the Wizards cruised to victory after a pair of Arenas free throws opened up a 10-point advantage with just under four minutes to play.

Game Notes

Jamison finished 9-of-14 shooting...Miami’s Brendan Haywood and Jarvis Hayes each donated eight points...Quinn ended with nine points...Miami hosts Memphis on Saturday while Washington visits the Lakers on Sunday.