Richardson leads comeback, Olynyk has game-winner in Heat’s win over Wizards

Just one night after Josh Richardson couldn’t come through for the Heat down the stretch, he led a comeback.

Richardson scored 13 fourth-quarter points to help push the Heat (1-1) past the Wizards (0-1) in a dramatic 113-112 win Thursday at Capital One Arena.

But it was Kelly Olynyk who had the game-winning basket, grabbing a rebound and scoring on a putback layup with 0.2 seconds remaining to give the Heat a one-point lead. The Wizards had one final possession, but time expired before they could get off a shot.

Richardson’s strong fourth quarter comes just 24 hours after he stepped out of bounds on a drive to the basket to commit a painful turnover with just a few seconds remaining in Wednesday’s 104-101 loss to the Magic.

Richardson, who the Heat have been asking to be more aggressive offensively, finished the victory with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-21 shooting.

Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr. each set a new career-high in points. McGruder recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Jones finished with 17 points.

John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points and 10 assists.

The Heat trailed by as many as six points in the fourth quarter, but it outscored the Wizards 28-23 in the period to complete the comeback on the second night of season-opening back-to-back set.

As the only team that begin the season with a back-to-back, the Heat now returns to Miami for Saturday’s home opener against the Hornets. The contest also represents the start of a favorable stretch for the Heat, with eight of its next 11 games coming at home.

The Heat played with a shorthanded roster for the second consecutive game, as Wayne Ellington (sore left ankle), Justise Winslow (hamstring tightness), James Johnson (sports hernia surgery) and Waiters (left ankle surgery) did not play. The good news for Miami is Ellington seems close to a return, as he’s been available to play in the first two games of the season but has been held out to avoid any setbacks.

With four players unavailable, the Heat went with a starting lineup of Goran Dragic, Richardson, McGruder, Jones and Hassan Whiteside. It’s the same five who started the opener.

This story was originally published October 18, 2018 at 10:59 PM.