Bub Carrington hits game-winner as time expires to lift Wizards past play-in bound Heat 119-118

MIAMI (AP) — Tristan Vukcevic had 28 points and 11 rebounds, Justin Champagnie added 27 points and Bub Carrington banked in a game-winner as time expired to put the Washington Wizards over the Miami Heat 119-118 on Sunday in both teams' regular-season finale.

Carrington had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a career high 41 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Miami, and Keshad Johnson and Josh Christopher each had 17 points.

Miami is already locked into 10th place in the Eastern Conference and will play an elimination game against Chicago, the No. 9 seed, on Wednesday.

Colby Jones also had 20 for the Wizards, who won just two of their final 10 games of the season.

Wizards: With a dismal season coming to an end, coach Brian Keefe was proud of the work that his young roster put in during its 18-64 campaign, noting that “We’ve had a lot of guys, not just our younger guys, grow tremendously this year.”

Heat: Some reserves got extended minutes with Miami resting Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, and several other regulars out with lingering injuries.

The Heat led by one with five seconds left when Christopher received an inbounds pass and went into the backcourt, giving the ball to Washington. Carrington made the game-winner on the next play.

With his start on Sunday, Carrington became the first Wizards rookie to appear in all 82 games in a season since Jeff Ruland (1981-82). Carrington, 19, also joined Luka Doncic as the only players in NBA history to record at least 300 assists and 100 3-pointers before turning 20 years old.

The Miami-Chicago winner travels to face either No. 8 Atlanta or No. 7 Orlando for the seventh seed in the playoffs. The Wizards will prepare for this summer's NBA draft, where they have a good chance of selecting No. 1 overall.

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Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) drives on Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith during the first half of a basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) drives on Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) and forward Duncan Robinson during the first half of a basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) shoots over Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first half of a basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) shoots over Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) during the first half of a basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson reaches for the ball in front of teammate Terry Rozier during the first half of a basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson fouls Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards guard Colby Jones (1) scores on Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson and guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) drives on Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson (16) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) scores over Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (8) battles against Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the first half of a basketball game, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)