ATLANTA -- The Heat’s most difficult stretch of the regular season couldn’t have gotten off to an easier start.

Miami routed Atlanta 107-87 on Sunday at Philips Arena in the first of three games in three nights. With Dwyane Wade and LeBron James not in the lineup, the Heat and Hawks battled tooth and nail for four quarters and three overtime periods in the Heat’s first visit to Atlanta this season.

Sunday’s encore was the opposite of that.

The Heat (21-7) led 63-41 at halftime and its lead ballooned to more than 30 points in the third quarter. James and Wade received valuable rest in the second half with games against the Bucks on Monday and the Pacers on Tuesday. Both players sat out the entire fourth quarter.

Of the Heat’s starters, only Chris Bosh played in the fourth quarter.

“We couldn’t have scripted it no better than we did tonight,” James said.

Wade’s 21 points all came in the first half. The Heat’s shooting guard has scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive games.

He had 13 points in the second quarter with his three-point play against Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, giving the Heat a 25-point lead with 1:14 left in the first half.

With the Hawks (18-10) out of its way, the Heat quickly turned its attention to Milwaukee, which, surprisingly enough, has dominated the Heat this season.

Miami is 0-2 against the Bucks and is in danger of being swept in the season series. Monday is the final regular-season game of the season between the two teams.

“I don’t think we need any extra motivation,” James said. “They beat us twice.”

The Heat had plenty of time to think about the Bucks on Sunday. Playing without injured power forward Al Horford, Atlanta turned in one of its worst games of the season. The Heat outrebounded Atlanta 52-38, including 31-13 in the first half.

“We put a big emphasis on it knowing this team is good at offensive rebounding, especially with Zaza and Josh Smith,” Wade said. “Just knowing that we get more opportunities if we rebound the ball and get out in transition — for us that’s heaven.”

The Heat led 19-18 in the first quarter before ending the period on an 11-0 run. The Hawks cut the Heat’s lead to seven points midway through the second quarter on a three-pointer from Willie Green but could get no closer. Minutes later, the Heat’s lead was back to 15 points after Wade scored seven points of a 9-0 Heat run.

Wade called his 24 minutes against the Hawks “a big luxury,” considering the Heat plays two games in the next two nights.

“It was a very professional win by us,” Wade said. “We were very focused on what our game plan was, and we understood the schedule. This a tough team and lucky for us we got out to a big lead and were able to sustain it.”

For the Hawks, it was an all too familiar performance — brilliant one night and then horrendous the next. The Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 89-87 on Friday night.

Green led the inconsistent Hawks with 17 points off the bench.

James finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. His rebounding total tied his single-game best since joining the Heat. James’ all-around performance marked the 10th time this season he has had at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Bosh had 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting but added 16 rebounds, including 10 in the first half. He had six offensive rebounds.

“We just went up in traffic and got it with two hands — fundamental basketball,” Bosh said. “On the offensive end, I’m trying to work on crashing the boards a little bit more. It’s a work in progress, and I’m just trying to continue to get better.”

Mario Chalmers shook off the lingering soreness of his sprained left wrist to score 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He was 2 of 2 from three-point range, improving his team-best three-point total to 54.

Chalmers led the Heat in scoring in the third period, scoring 10 points on 4 of 5 from the field. His three-pointer with 6:47 left in the third quarter gave the Heat a 71-42 lead. James followed with a three-pointer minutes later to give the Heat its largest lead (32) since the season opener against Dallas (35).