Heat Cast Spell On Wizards

With starting point guard Tim Hardaway sidelined with a jammed right knee, Jamal Mashburn knew that he had to distribute the ball.

Mashburn had 16 points and a career-high 10 assists in Miami's 89-86 victory over Washington.

"You always have to be prepared because you may be called upon to do what someone else usually does," Mashburn said. "The way I look at it the more things I can do, the better."

"Right now we are sort of playing like we are stuck in the mud without Tim," said Heat coach Pat Riley, whose team has won both games that Hardaway has missed. "We found a way to win, but we have to play better."

Dan Majerle's 3-pointer with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter gave the Heat an 87-83 lead. Juwan Howard hit one free throw to close the gap to three.

Washington's Reggie Jordan stole a pass, drove to the basket and drew a foul and a goaltending call from P.J. Brown with 10.9 seconds left. He missed the free throw that would have tied the game at 87.

"I'm not upset that I missed the free throw," Jordan said. "I'm upset that we had a chanced to win the game."

Majerle got the rebound and was fouled. He hit one of the two free throws. After a Rod Strickland miss, Mourning added a free throw for the final margin.

"We had an opportunity to win the game," Washington coach Gar Heard said. "We missed shots and free thros but we played hard."

Mitch Richmond scored 20 to lead the Wizards. He scored nine points during a 13-3 run that gave the Wizards their first lead of the night, 63-62, with 3:01 to play in the third period.

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