February 26 2011 Last updated at 09:55 AM ET
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat got back to their winning ways after a tough loss to the Chicago Bulls the night before with a tougher than expected 121-113 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Competing on the second night of a back-to-back set, the Heat looked a bit sluggish in the opening quarter of the game as the Wizards looked nothing like a team who have only managed one road victory in 29 games. The surprisingly tough victory made it seven wins in a row at home and placed the Heat a half-game behind the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference lead.Wade red hot from the field
Dwyane Wade got it going in the second quarter scoring 18 of his team's first 19 points with 9 straight baskets, enabling the Heat to score more than twice as many points as they did in the first quarter. Wade's 41 points came off a season high 18 field goals out of 27 attempts, though oddly enough he was wobbly from the free throw line going 3-for-9. In his finest moments, he was unstoppable as he attacked the basket while also effortlessly draining shots from all over the field including a pair of three-pointers.
"I hit some jump shots and that opened up my game," Wade explained. "I finally got it going and at the same time we needed to get back and get the lead so it was kind of one of those moments."
Wall impressive in his debut against the Heat
Even with Wade's offensive explosion, both teams played mostly even in the first half and deep into the third quarter as a result of Wizards guard Nick Young's 38 points along with prized rookie John Wall's 24 points and 12 assists. It was Wall's first game against the Heat due to injuries holding him back the first two games of the season series.
"It was great, I think I played good," Wall told FanHouse. "We just came up short of a win. It's always good to play good against great players and get compliments from them but you also want to come away with a win."
Wall then expressed his disappointment on how the game got away from his team in crunch time.
"Down the stretch they just made plays and they did a great job getting to the free throw line," he said. "I think they outshot us in free throws by a long shot. We were down six at one point and they got an 'and 1' and the game got out of reach."
Bosh bounces back from poor showing in Chicago
After a disastrous performance against the Chicago Bulls in which Chris Bosh managed to hit only one field goal in 18 tries, there was less than a day to put the disappointment and shooting woes behind him.
"When I'm out there I'm going to try to be effective but there are going to be bad days," Bosh said. "Sometimes when it rains it pours. It's all about how you react so I just try to keep my composure and just keep playing."
Although he still wasn't in his usual All-Star form and struggled in the first half to make an impact, Bosh was able to pick himself up and went 5-for-12 to finish with 15 points and 8 rebounds.
"It's something that you really just have to try to get yourself through," said LeBron James. "Me and D-Wade have had times throughout this season where you don't feel in rhythm anymore. All it takes is maybe an easy bucket: a dunk, layup, or an open jumper and try to open up the flood gates for you.
As good as CB is, and he's shooting the ball extremely well from the field this year, everyone goes through it so we were definitely happy for him."
Follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter at @SuryaHeatNBA. For more news, exclusive content, and detailed analysis on the Miami Heat please visit www.HotHotHoops.com
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