MIAMI, Dec. 13 -- Having won 10 games since the last time they played the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards wanted to gauge how much they have improved Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Wizards discovered that while they may be a better team, the Heat -- with Shaquille O'Neal on its side -- is much, much better.
The Wizards lost for the third time this season against the Heat, 106-83, and they will meet again Wednesday at MCI Center. Fortunately for the Wizards, it will be the last time they will have to face their Southeast Division rival. "We have to get a win," point guard Gilbert Arenas said after scoring a team-high 18 points for the Wizards. "We can't let them roll over us."
Shaquille O'Neal, at 7 feet 1, 330 pounds, shoots over 7-foot, 268-pound Brendan Haywood as Miami pulled away early for its third win of the season -- and seventh straight overall -- against Washington. O'Neal made 15 of 23 shots and had 5 blocks.
(Alan Diaz -- AP)
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_____WIZARDSINSIDER_____
WHO'S NEXT?
vs. Miami
Wednesday, 7
Comcast SportsNet
WWRC-1260
MIAMI, Dec. 13 -- Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal offered his take yesterday on the fractured relationship between former Los Angeles Lakers teammates Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, following Bryant's recent accusations that Malone made inappropriate advances to his wife, Vanessa Bryant.
"I'm very surprised how it came out, but I've never seen anything like that before," O'Neal said before the Heat played the Wizards on Monday. "I thought him and Karl were best friends. Karl was always the liaison between me and that guy. I was under the impression they were closer than what they were."
Bryant expressed his disappointment in Malone on Sunday, whom he referred to as "a mentor to me, an older brother to me." Malone reportedly told Vanessa Bryant that he was "hunting for a little Mexican girl" at a Lakers home game on Nov. 23. The news came shortly after Malone backed out of a pledge that he would rejoin the Lakers if he returns to the NBA from a knee injury.
O'Neal said he spoke with Malone recently and said he would try to recruit him to the Heat. "If he makes like he wants to come back and play, I'll be the first assistant general manager to give him a call."
"I know Karl's hurt. I can tell he's hurt. You guys know I have a sense of humor. You guys know I'm a playful guy. So when I step out of myself, I always say to myself, 'How can you not like me?' If you don't like me, there's something wrong with you. Period. And if you don't like Karl Malone, there's something wrong with you."
"It's not odd, it's funny. It's funny," he said of the situation. "Yeah, it's funny because now that I'm gone, the sunglasses are off. Now you can see everything very clearly. When I was there, you had sunglasses on in a dark room and you couldn't see much. Now the sun's out. Now you see everything."
-- Michael Lee
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_____ Who's the Man? _____
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After scoring just 33 points overall in the first two games against the Wizards, O'Neal erupted for a season-high 40 points -- his highest-scoring total since March 2003 -- with 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. His impact was summed up during a 20-second span in the fourth quarter, when O'Neal completed a three-point play, then blocked a jumper by guard Larry Hughes on the other end, which led to a fast-break dunk for forward Udonis Haslem that gave the Heat a 98-78 lead.
The Wizards (12-7) lost their seventh consecutive game against the Heat and dropped to 1-6 against teams with a winning record. They also couldn't take advantage of a break -- actually a sprain -- when the Heat lost leading scorer Dwyane Wade to a mild ankle sprain in the second quarter. "They still had the big fella," forward Antawn Jamison said.
O'Neal scored in dominant fashion, backing down on Brendan Haywood and dunking. He scored in not-so-dominant fashion, stumbling through the lane and flipping the ball over his head for another basket. And he scored with elegance, nailing an assortment of jump hooks. "He was their first, second and third option," Hughes said, shaking his head, "and he made free throws tonight."
O'Neal made 10 of 16 foul shots and he was 15 of 23 from the floor; Jamison, Arenas and Hughes, the highest-scoring trio of teammates in the league, went a combined 15 of 57 (26 percent) for 42 points -- almost 20 fewer than their season average. Jamison (12 points), Arenas and Hughes missed shots they often make and appeared to force the action at other times.
Late in the second quarter, Hughes broke down Damon Jones off the dribble, then missed a driving layup with a clear path to the lane. "We shot bad," said Hughes, who missed 17 of 22 attempts. "I hope that'll be the only time that happens this year."
Forward-center Kwame Brown had a season-high 16 points with four rebounds in a reserve role. Brown wasn't able to stop O'Neal but he made O'Neal work. He also caught O'Neal's attention in the fourth quarter, picking up his fifth foul by shoving the 330-pounder to his knees. O'Neal crawled under the basket support for a few seconds, then slowly labored up and glared at Brown as he walked to the foul line.
O'Neal later got some payback when he lowered his shoulder on Brown, missed a shot off the glass, rebounded it and dunked to give the Heat an 89-76 lead. Brown walked away holding his lip. "Aw man, he almost shattered my teeth," Brown said. "There is no game plan that works against Shaq. Anybody that tells you that is crazy."
The Heat has won five in a row since inserting Jones at point guard and moving Wade to shooting guard. But Wade, who averaged 29.5 points in the first two games against the Wizards, went scoreless, missing all four of his shots.
He was forced to leave the game with 4 minutes 19 seconds left in the second quarter after he sprained his left ankle while stealing a pass by Jared Jeffries intended for Hughes. "Dwyane went out and guys like Shaquille O'Neal know when to carry a game and step up," Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said.
O'Neal picked up the slack when Wade went down, scoring the next four points on back-to-back dunks. He drove around Haywood for another dunk and caught an alley-oop pass from former Wizard Christian Laettner for a two-handed slam to give the Heat a 39-27 lead.
The Wizards, the second-highest scoring team in the league coming into the game, scored just 32 points in the first, their lowest first-half total since scoring 37 in Miami Nov. 9.
