PREVIEW: The Miami Heat (27-26) travel to face the Washington Wizards (14-37) at Capital One Arena on February 8, 2026 , with the Heat looking to bounce back from recent struggles. Miami dropped consecutive games, including a 98-96 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday in which it squandered a 22-point lead , and now faces a Washington team with depth issues heading into the matchup. The Heat rank first in quick tempo offense while maintaining the fourth-best low turnover rate , giving them a disciplined foundation to attack a vulnerable opponent. Norman Powell leads Miami's scoring at 23 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting , though he is day to day with a hand injury . The Wizards face a completely different challenge on the home side, with multiple key players sidelined including Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson. Washington ranks poorly defensively with the 28th-ranked ability to limit rim attacks and 28th-ranked defensive rebounding , vulnerabilities the Heat will look to exploit throughout the game. Although the Wizards have won four of their last seven, they are playing far from full strength, with rookie Will Riley providing hope after scoring a career-high 27 points recently. Miami's post-up frequency ranks sixth league-wide while their rim-attacking opportunities sit seventh , positioning them well to take advantage of Washington's interior defensive struggles in a matchup that heavily favors the visiting Heat.