It wasn’t easy, but Heat finally finds way to defeat Hawks behind 23 points from Wade
The Hawks haven’t made it easy on the Heat this season, and Monday’s matchup wasn’t any different.
The result was different, though.
Entering with an 0-3 record against Atlanta this season, the Heat (29-34) finally found a way to defeat the Hawks in a 114-113 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami has now won three of its past four games and is riding a season-best three-game home winning streak.
Despite entering with the league’s fifth-worst record, the Hawks (22-43) again played the Heat tough.
In a game that included 12 lead changes and four ties, Atlanta led by one with 9:17 to play. But Miami responded with a 15-4 run to open a 10-point lead over the Hawks behind 14 fourth-quarter points from Dwyane Wade, who finished with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and five assists.
The Hawks didn’t go away, cutting the deficit to one with two made free throws from Kent Bazemore with nine seconds to play. But Miami was able to pass the ball around on the next possession until the clock expired to avoid the intentional foul from Atlanta and hold on for the one-point win.
It was a special night for Wade, who finished Monday’s game with two blocks to pass Michael Jordan for most blocked shots in a career by a guard (regular season and playoffs).
It was a rare night off the bench for center Hassan Whiteside, who played as a reserve Monday for the first time since signing a four-year, $98 million contract in the summer of 2016. After missing the previous three games with a strained left hip, Whiteside returned to finish with four points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes against the Hawks.
Miami, which remains in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, is now just percentage points behind the eighth and final playoff spot occupied by Orlando. The Heat has the same record as the ninth-place Hornets, but is behind Charlotte based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Heat travels to face the Hornets on Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 4, 2019 at 10:02 PM.
