The sellout crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena witnessed history from Michael Jordan on Sunday, but not the type it came to see.
Held to single-digit scoring (nine points) for only the second time in his past 893 games, Jordan left for good with a sore right knee midway through the fourth quarter. The Heat took over from there, outscoring Washington 14-6 to win 92-80 and complete a weekend sweep of the Wizards.
Miami outscored the Wizards 27-13 in the fourth quarter and ended the game on a 20-6 run.
''This was a huge weekend for us,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. ``Saturday and tonight are probably two of the best fourth quarters we've had all year.''
A night after scoring 37 against the Heat, Jordan shot 4 for 13 and committed six turnovers in 30 minutes. He topped his career low of six points, set against Indiana earlier this season.
Jordan, 39, had his knee drained before the game and said there's a ''very strong possibility'' he would go on the injured list, which would require sitting out at least five games.
''He said he just couldn't go anymore,'' Wizards coach Doug Collins said. ``I did not want him to play, but he wanted to, and his knee just got sore.''
Right before Jordan left, the Heat scored six straight to take its first lead. Jim Jackson's layup put Miami ahead for good, 76-74, with eight minutes left. Jackson followed that with a jumper, and then Jordan departed with 6:27 to go.
''You could tell from the moves he was making that his knee was bothering him,'' said Jackson, who scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth. ``He can beat you with one knee.''
But not on this night, especially when Richard Hamilton -- who came in averaging 19.6 points -- mustered just eight points on 4-for-15 shooting.
''With Jordan not there, they just overpowered us,'' Collins said. ``The Heat got us shellshocked. They're a big, strong, powerful team. They bump you, grab you. You come off screens, and they knock you around. It's the way Pat Riley coached in New York. He knows if they foul 75 times, the referee is only going to call 30 of them.''
The Heat got terrific work from Rod Strickland, who posted his second consecutive double-double (16 points, 11 assists) after registering just one over the first 52 games. Eddie Jones added 15, and Brian Grant chipped in 14.
''Our fourth-quarter effort was the best I've seen all year,'' said LaPhonso Ellis, who had five points and three boards in the fourth.
Jordan missed the rim on his first shot, a jumper over Grant, and opened 0 for 4 before sinking a jumper with 3:18 left in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, he missed his only field goal and one free throw (on a technical) and committed an offensive foul.
''He is not indestructible,'' Riley said. ``He has been absolutely remarkable in the fact he has played all season and missed only [two] games.''
But the Wizards stayed ahead most of the night largely because of Tyronn Lue and Christian Laettner. Lue scored 21, including nine of the Wizards' 13 fourth-quarter points, and abused Anthony Carter off the dribble and with his jumper.
Laettner had 15 points and five steals but shot 0 for 3 in the fourth, a quarter in which the Wizards shot 6 for 18.
'At halftime [with the Heat down 51-46], I got with the guys in the huddle and said, `We have to bring it. There's no excuse for them to outwork us,' '' center Alonzo Mourning said.
Mourning (11 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) shot 4 for 11 but hit two key hook shots to stretch the Heat's lead to 10 with 1:53 left.
Strickland has played brilliantly the past two games (34 points, 25 assists). ''Rod has been absolutely vintage,'' Riley said. ``He has shown as well as anyone in the league the last month [among] point guards.''
The Heat (23-31) closed within 3 ? games of Washington, Charlotte and Indiana, who are eighth, ninth and 10th in the conference at 27-28. Miami is four games behind Philadelphia and Toronto, who are tied for sixth and seventh.
''I think we need to win two out of every three to be realistic,'' Riley said. ``It's the closest we've been since the beginning of the season.''
? Wizards starting power forward Popeye Jones missed the game with a sore right elbow. . . . Eddie Jones set a career mark by hitting a three-pointer in his 25th straight game. . . . In his second game back from sports hernia surgery, Carter shot 0 for 4, including two air balls, with two turnovers, and drew boos from the crowd.