Heat bench ignites victory over Hawks

Send a link to a friend  Share

[December 15, 2015]  ATLANTA -- Miami coach Erik Spoelstra says his team is trying to the same thing almost every team in the NBA is at this point.

"Except for Golden State and the Spurs, everyone's just trying to figure it out," Spoelstra said.

The Heat looked like they're on their way to figuring it out during Monday's 100-88 road win over the Atlanta Hawks. Forward Chris Bosh had 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Miami dominated the backboards and got a big lift off the bench to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Hawks. It was Miami's first win in Atlanta since Feb. 20, 2013.

Guard Gerald Green came off the bench to score 20 points for the Heat. Led by Green, Miami's reserves outscored Atlanta's bench, 31-17. The Heat outrebounded the struggling Hawks, 54-37.

"It's great to have a stat like that," Spoelstra said of his team's rebounding edge. "It's not easy to rebound. First, you have to force a team to miss, and secondly, nobody is just giving you rebounds. Guys were not just leaving it to Hassan (Whiteside) or to our big guys. (They) were tracking it down and pursuing it. Those kids of efforts are what's required to win on the road."

Spoelstra praised his team's grit, a night after rallying from behind to beat Memphis on the road. Miami point guard Goran Dragic had a tooth knocked out by an accidental elbow from Atlanta forward Al Horford. Dragic went back the locker room briefly, but returned and finished with 12 points, eight points and seven rebounds.

"I think we all learned a little something about him tonight" Heat forward Dwyane Wade said of Dragic. "Most people -- if they get their [teeth knocked out] -- want to go to the locker room. But he didn't want to go and wanted to stay in the game. He's just a tough guy. We knew he was tough, but didn't know he was 'get your teeth knocked out, bleeding and come right back in' tough."

Miami (14-9) was on the second half of a back-to-back and riding momentum from Sunday's stunning comeback win over the Grizzlies. The Heat scored the last 11 points of the game to stun the Grizzlies.

Miami took control in the third quarter against Atlanta. Bosh's corner 3-pointer put Miami up 60-45 with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Miami's lead quickly ballooned to 18 early in the fourth quarter. Hawks guard Kyle Korver hit a straight-away 3-pointer to ignite Atlanta's last challenge. Korver, who had missed his first five 3-point attempts, looked to the sky in sarcastic disbelief after three ball went down.

Point guard Jeff Teague followed with a basket, cutting the deficit to 79-66 and causing Miami to call timeout with 9:14 to play.

But Green and Bosh answered with back-to-back jumpers, pushing the lead to 90-74 with 4:24 to play, and Miami forward Loul Deng finished with 18 points, including a late 3-point play that sealed the win.

[to top of second column]

Atlanta guard Kent Bazemore, who was reinserted into the starting lineup after a seven-game absence, led the Hawks with a career-high 28 points. Bazemore delivered early, scoring seven of the Hawks' first nine points. But Atlanta soon lost its shooting touch.

"We did (have energy)," Bazemore said. "We just couldn't make shots and that kind of kills your energy when you miss open looks."

The Hawks missed their first seven 3-point attempts, before backup point guard Dennis Schroder connected from the corner to cut the Heat lead to 26-23 early in the second quarter. The Heat closed out the half on a 16-8 run and took a 47-38 lead into intermission.

Atlanta connected on just eight of 33 3-pointer attempts and shot 39.3 percent from the field. The Hawks, who have lost three straight, were coming off their worst loss of the season, a 103-78 home drubbing at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

Since winning seven of their first eight to start the season, Atlanta has gone 7-11.

"Obviously, we're not playing well," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We're going to have to find a way to fight through this, to work through this. It's going to be a call of our character, a call of our work ethic. We'll have to get after it."

NOTES: Atlanta G Kent Bazemore was inserted into the starting lineup in place of F Thabo Sefolosha against Miami. Coach Mike Budenholzer said the lineup adjustment was not a one-game move. ... Heat G Tyler Johnson (shoulder) and F Josh McRoberts (bruised right knee) were inactive. Johnson and McRoberts have missed the last three games. ... Miami assistant coach Keith Smart was not with the team and is on medical leave. ... Atlanta guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Edy Tavares were inactive.

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Back to top