The Heat won by 30 points a day earlier, and the Hawks were without their two best players. It seemed the Heat was set up for another blowout.

But the short-handed Hawks gave the Heat a scare, and Miami pulled ahead in the final minutes and held on for an 89-86 victory. It was the Heat’s final regular-season game against their division rival. The Heat (30-9) went 3-1 against Atlanta this season.

“You have to sometimes win them ugly and that was ugly there for a while,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We certainly weren’t in a great flow offensively … but we were able to push through and grind out a win.”

A beautiful alley-oop from Dwyane Wade to Udonis Haslem gave the Heat an 87-84 lead with 12 seconds left. It was an amazing play to cap an otherwise less-than-stellar performance for the Heat, which went 0 of 10 from three-point range.

The Hawks (23-16) called timeout to draw up an answer and settled for a layup by Vladimir Radmanovic. Up by a point, Wade made a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left, and Hawks guard Jannero Pargo missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer to tie.

Wade, playing with a sore right ankle, had just four points in the first half but finished with a strong effort. He had 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists. He also recorded three steals and blocked a shot. With 5:35 left in the second quarter, Wade made his 4,000th career free-throw.

Wade’s alley-oop to Haslem came just a few games after Haslem missed a potential game-winner against the Jazz. Haslem has had an off year shooting but found space behind the Hawks’ defense in the critical seconds Wednesday.

Spoelstra defended Haslem after the game, calling him “as clutch a shooter as we’ve had here.”

“We know U.D. is championship warrior,” Spoelstra said. “He helps you win, and he does it in a lot of different ways.

“More often than not he just makes winning plays. He was doing all those things down the stretch, and he was able to get that connection that we’ve seen here now for nine years — Dwyane on a pick and roll and finding U.D. on the back side of it.”

Haslem finished with eight points and four rebounds in more than 21 minutes to lead all Heat reserves.

LeBron James had 31 points to lead the Heat in scoring for the 27th time this season. He has scored at least 30 points in 17 games, and Tuesday’s double-double was his 17th of the season.

The Heat trailed 65-55 in the third quarter, but James and Wade led Miami on a 13-0 run. The Hawks retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 spurt, but the Heat answered when Chris Bosh came alive, scoring three important field goals in less than three minutes.

Bosh started the game 1 of 12 from the field but cut the Hawks’ lead to 80-79 with 3:04 to play. He then knocked down a 16-footer and a 19-footer to give the Heat the lead.

“He struggled tonight,” Spoelstra said. “He couldn’t find the bottom of that rim but we kept on reminding him that it’s only a problem if you hesitate on the next one, and he finally got that corner jump shot.”

Both finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Hawks forward Josh Smith, playing without starters Joe Johnson and Al Horford, scored 23 points on 9-of-22 shooting. Point guard Jeff Teague had 16 points and veteran Jerry Stackhouse had 10 off the bench.

MIAMI — LeBron James had 31 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 18 points and set up Udonis Haslem for an alley-oop dunk with 12 seconds left, and the Miami Heat rallied to beat the Atlanta Hawks 89-86 on Wednesday night.

Miami won its 11th straight at home and had to come from 10 points down in the third quarter to extend the streak. Another Heat streak ended — it was Miami’s first time since April 6, 2006, without making a 3-pointer, a span that included 455 regular-season games and 60 more in the playoffs.

The Heat were 0 for 10 from beyond the arc.

Josh Smith scored 23 for the Hawks, who were without Joe Johnson and Tracy McGrady, among others. Jannero Pargo had a look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it hit the rim and bounced away.

Jeff Teague scored 16 and Jerry Stackhouse added 10 for the Hawks. The Heat only had two players in double figures, with Chris Bosh managing only nine points on a 3 for 14 shooting night.

Pargo’s three-point play with 30.5 seconds left got the Hawks within 85-84, but on the next Miami possession, Wade found Haslem at the rim to push the lead back to three. A layup by Vladimir Radmanovic with 4 seconds left got Atlanta within one, but Wade — who also had nine rebounds and six assists — made a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left.

The Hawks twice led by 10 points in the third quarter, the first coming on a 3-pointer by Kirk Hinrich, the other when Smith made a pair of free throws with 4 minutes left to give Atlanta a 65-55 edge.

Then things got heated.

And the Heat needed the boost.

Miami went on top after a 13-0 run, a spurt that really started to roll when Wade stole the ball from Teague, got a pass back from Mario Chalmers and threw down a dunk that went halfway through the net, hit his chest twice as he held on to the goal — then finally fell through the net.

Atlanta turned the ball over four straight times, and not only were the Hawks losing the ball, they were losing their cool. During one scrum, Zaza Pachulia grabbed onto James’ head, earning both a personal foul and a technical foul as players from both sides got testy with one another and even Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton — sitting courtside — feigned wanting to run on the court to join in the fun.

Chalmers and James combined to make two free throws, and the Heat lead was at 68-65.

New Orleans Hornets

After countless close losses in January, the New Orleans Hornets finally broke out in a big way with a 26-point win over the Orlando Magic Friday night. After a day off, the Hornets looked to make it two in a row against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday evening in New Orleans. It was not meant to be as the Hawks flew past the Hornets 94-72.

New Orleans Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks

As a native of New Orleans, the rivalry between my hometown and the fine folks of Atlanta has led to tears of both joy and sadness. Needless to say, there have been numerous memorable games between the Saints and Falcons over the years. However, the 100-59 pasting that the Hornets put on the Hawks last year holds a special place in my heart.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who remembers that game. The Hawks started out on Sunday night like they wanted to beat the Hornets 100-59 themselves. To be successful, New Orleans has to play great defense. The Hornets are not talented enough to get into a shootout with athletic teams like the Hawks and come out on top.

The Hawks did not miss a shot until well into the first quarter. In fact, the Hornets trailed at one point 27-6. Jeff Teague was particularly deadly for the Hawks. And former Hornet Willie Green was hot as well. In the second period, the Hornets got back to playing defense. But points were still hard to come by as New Orleans trailed 46-35 at halftime.

A 20-2 Hawks scoring run in the third period put the Hornets away. The biggest problem all season for New Orleans continued against the Hawks. The Hornets were anemic once again from three-point land while the Hawks shot over 50% from behind the arc all night. It wasn’t quite 100-59 but the Hawks blew out New Orleans 94-72.

Looking ahead

Things don’t figure to get any easier for the Hornets on Monday. After falling to the Hawks, New Orleans will travel to Miami to face the Heat. Last year, the Hornets got off to a hot start and one of their early season wins came against the Heat. If this New Orleans team can also beat the Heat, it will be the biggest story in the NBA Monday night.

Patrick Michael was born in New Orleans and currently resides in the Big Easy. A loyal New Orleans NBA fan, Patrick was a diehard New Orleans Jazz fan and now cheers for the Hornets. Patrick was in the New Orleans Arena the night the Hornets were one win away from the Western Conference Finals.

Source

CST broadcast of the New Orleans Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks

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DETROIT –

The Atlanta hawks visit the Detroit Pistons Friday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Hawks (13-6) just lost by 22 points on Wednesday in San Antonio. The Pistons (4-15) dropped a close one Wednesday night to the Miami Heat, 101-98.

It was one of the better offensive showings for the Pistons who are the only NBA team not to score 100 points in a game this season.

Turnovers proved to be the difference Wednesday as LeBron James made his final six free throws to push the Heat past the Pistons.

This is the first of four meetings this season between Detroit and Atlanta.

With the absence of Ben Gordon, Austin Daye has stepped up for Detroit. Daye scored a career-best 28 points against the Heat.

Gordon has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury.

Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.

The Atlanta Hawks have been struggling on the road. A favorable schedule on
their upcoming trip could help them improve their record away from Philips
Arena, but their first opponent is suddenly surging.

The Hawks open a five-game road trip Monday night when they visit a
Milwaukee Bucks team coming off an impressive upset.

Atlanta (12-5) is off to a solid start, sitting percentage points behind
Orlando for Southeast Division lead despite a 4-4 road record. Three of those
victories have come against teams with losing records.

The Hawks will try to add some wins to that total during a five-game,
nine-day road trip in which four of the games will be against opponents
currently under .500.

The first of those opponents is Milwaukee (6-9), which played much better
than its record in road upsets of New York and Miami over the weekend.

The Bucks, who were previously 0-8 away from home, defeated the Heat 91-82
on Sunday despite shooting 35.0 percent.

“Huge,” guard Shaun Livingston said. “Especially for us being winless on
the road and going 2-0 against two good teams, especially the quality team like
the Heat, it’s huge for your confidence.”

The Bucks forced 47 turnovers on the trip while limiting Miami and the
Knicks to 37.1 percent shooting from the field.

“Our defense was very, very good again,” coach Scott Skiles said after
Sunday’s win. “When we needed a couple big plays, we were able to make them.”

Atlanta has been making opposing defenses look good on the road. The Hawks
have averaged 80.0 points while losing their last two games away from Philips
Arena, including a 90-76 defeat to Philadelphia on Friday in which coach Larry
Drew said the team “quit” in the second half.

Drew had little to complain about at home in a 121-94 victory over Cleveland
on Saturday. The Hawks shot 55.4 percent and went 11 of 24 from 3-point range as
Joe Johnson scored 25 points to lead six players in double figures.

“I thought from start to finish we were in an attack mode,” Drew said. “You
could see the aggression. You could see the energy.”

Johnson, though, is averaging 14.5 points per game on the road – nearly
eight fewer than he’s averaging at home.

Milwaukee’s Stephen Jackson, benched for Friday’s game after missing that
day’s shootaround, came off the bench against the Heat and finished with 10
points in 26 minutes.

“The biggest thing is I hate not being out there and (Sunday) I was able to
help my team,” Jackson said.

Livingston replaced Jackson in the starting lineup on the trip and made a
case he may belong there. Livingston had 10 points and five assists in Sunday’s
win after recording 18 points and shooting 7 of 10 against the Knicks.

Atlanta and Milwaukee split their four meetings last season, with each team
winning once on the road.

A hobbled Dwyane Wade was not at his best when the Miami Heat lost for the
first time earlier this week to the Atlanta Hawks.

After a foot injury kept him out of the Heat’s last contest, Wade hopes
he’ll have a chance to be better when the teams meet again for the second time
in four days.

Teammate LeBron James also hopes he’ll be healthy enough to be on the floor
for Wade’s possible return as the visiting Heat look to avenge their lone defeat
Thursday night against the Hawks.

Wade watched as Miami (6-1) rolled to a 118-83 win over Indiana on
Wednesday. Bothered by a bruised foot he suffered at Charlotte on Dec. 28, Wade
said playing games on Sunday and Monday increased the soreness.

With the condensed schedule, he felt it was best to sit to prevent a
relatively minor issue from turning into a major problem. Miami concludes a
stretch of four games in five days when it opens a five-game trip Thursday.

“As much as I want to be out there, my team needs me to be Dwyane Wade and
not somebody else on the floor,” said Wade, who has averaged a modest 15.8
points on 40.0 percent shooting in the four games he’s played with the injury.

“I know my feet are a big part of my game. I’ve got to get it taken care
of.”

He finished with 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting but dished out 10 assists in
the Heat’s 100-92 home loss to Atlanta (4-2) on Monday.

James, who had 33 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds versus Indiana,
scored 28 against the Hawks. However, he continued to play Wednesday despite
injuring his left ankle late in the third quarter.

“It’s been better, but it feels OK,” said James, averaging a league-leading
29.9 points on 59.5 percent shooting. “We’ll see how I feel.”

James totaled 77 points on 26-of-42 shooting in two games at Atlanta last
season, including 43 in a 106-85 win March 18. However, like Wade, coach Erik
Spoelstra does not want to take any chances with his other superstar.

“We will have to see,” Spoelstra said. “He has sprained that same ankle
every year, he says at least one time a year.”

Being without either Wade or James would certainly hinder Miami, which
collectively struggled against Atlanta’s zone defense in the second half and was
outscored 33-21 in the fourth quarter Monday.

“We need to work through it,” Spoelstra said of facing a zone. “We’re going
to see enough of it that we will have our breakthrough. We hope to have it
sooner than later.”

Though the Hawks managed to reach triple digits Monday, the Heat have held
them to 83.7 points per contest during a three-game winning streak at Atlanta.

Undefeated in two home games this season, the Hawks return to Philips Arena
looking to bounce back after they blew a 19-point lead in a 76-74 loss at
Chicago on Tuesday.

Atlanta, which shot 35.0 percent and went 14 of 25 from the free-throw line,
was outscored 34-18 in the fourth quarter while reigning MVP Derrick Rose scored
17 of his 30 points.

“We stopped defending with the intensity that we did in the first three
quarters,” said coach Larry Drew, whose team begins a stretch of three games in
three days. “We didn’t make our free throws going down the stretch. If you don’t
make your free throws you can’t expect to win.”

Atlanta star Joe Johnson scored 21 points at Miami on Monday, but has
averaged just 11.7 during the three-game home skid to the Heat.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI — Atlanta played zone defence. Tracy McGrady found his zone.

And with that, Miami’s unbeaten start came to an end.

Joe Johnson scored 21 points, McGrady hit a pair of big three-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Hawks recovered from early 10-point deficits to beat the Heat 100-92 on Monday night.

McGrady and Al Horford each scored 16 for the Hawks (4-1), who opened the final period on a 15-3 run to take control. And McGrady made perhaps the two biggest plays of the night in the final minutes, first throwing a lob to Josh Smith for a dunk, then hitting a three-pointer that gave the Hawks a 93-84 lead with 2:26 left.

“Been a long time since I had that feeling,” McGrady said. “It feels good. It feels right.”

LeBron James scored 28 points, Chris Bosh scored 19 and Dwyane Wade finished with 12 points and 10 assists for Miami (5-1). The Heat were outscored 33-21 in the fourth quarter and struggled against Atlanta’s zone defence, which not only slowed Miami down but disrupted its rhythm for long stretches. Montreal’s Joel Anthony had two points and six rebounds at centre for the Heat.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said not only was the zone effective on the court, it got into the Heat’s heads as well.

“We need to work through it,” Spoelstra said. “Look, we’re going to see enough of it that we will have our breakthrough. We hope to have it sooner than later. … But you can see, our minds were heavy from that point on and our minds were occupied rather than playing free.”

Jeff Teague finished with 15 points for Atlanta.

McGrady and Jannero Pargo made three-pointers midway through the fourth, giving Atlanta what was then its biggest lead at 82-74. Miami twice cut the lead to four, the second of those coming when Udonis Haslem made a free throw with 3:24 remaining.

The Heat got no closer. Off a set play called during a time-out, McGrady’s lob to Smith gave Atlanta some breathing room, and then the Florida native connected from beyond the arc on the left wing to essentially seal the win for the Hawks.

McGrady scored 13 in the fourth, his biggest final quarter since November 2008.

“He played exceptionally well,” James said of McGrady. “When you’re born a scorer, you’re always a scorer. No matter what may happen to athleticism or anything like that, he’s a natural born scorer and we saw that tonight.”

As has been the case regularly this season, Miami came out flying.

A right-handed dunk from the left-handed Bosh — he went by three Hawks on the play, sprawling to the court on the landing — less than a minute into the contest got the Heat started. Wade threw a long alley-oop pass to James for another slam and a 20-10 lead.

And when the six-foot-10 Atlanta forward Vladimir Radmanovic tried to dunk on the 6-4 Wade in the second quarter, not only did he get rejected at the rim he got a stare-down as well.

More often than not so far in this young season, once the Heat get the highlight machine going — as they did against Dallas in the season opener and Charlotte on Sunday night — they’ve simply run away from opponents.

Not in this game. Atlanta had plenty of answers.

“The zone changed the rhythm of the game,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said.

Down by 10 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta made a run to turn everything around. A 17-5 run not only erased the deficit, but gave the Hawks their first lead at 44-42 when Horford scored off a lob from Smith.

Miami scored the next eight points, then got unlucky on the final play of the half. Wade swatted a ball away from the baseline, but it sailed directly to a wide-open Johnson, who swished a 3-pointer as the half expired to cut Miami’s edge to 50-47 at the break.

Johnson was 4 for 4 in the second quarter, and the Hawks’ starters shot a combined 11 for 14 in the second 12 minutes.

Neither team led by more than four points in the third, and that was the cushion — 71-67 — that Miami carried into the fourth. Atlanta led by three after another jumper by Johnson with 4:39 left, but the Hawks missed seven of their final eight shots of the quarter, six of those from the perimeter. And when Shane Battier made a 3-pointer, just his third field goal of the season, with 26 seconds left in the period, the Heat were back on top.

Then Atlanta simply took off in the fourth, denying Miami any shot at the first 6-0 start in franchise history. And when McGrady threw that lob to Smith, he pointed to the Hawks’ bench in celebration, sensing the win was coming.

“Great execution,” McGrady said. “That’s what you have to do when you’re playing great teams.”

NOTES: Actor Adrien Brody and rapper Lil Wayne sat next to each other courtside. … The teams play again Thursday in Atlanta, a game that will mark Miami’s fourth in five nights. … Wade had eight assists by halftime, already tying a season high. … Monday’s game marked just the third time McGrady played at Miami since November 2008. … The Heat were without reserve rookie C Mickell Gladness (left foot infection). He is day-to-day. … Hawks vice-president Dominique Wilkins said G Kirk Hinrich (shoulder surgery) is still expected to miss another month.

MIAMI—

The Atlanta Hawks found a way Monday night to make the Miami Heat boring.

Or, more to the point, their zone defense did.

Retreating into a zone at just about every opportunity, the Hawks slowed the pace and practically eliminated the Heat’s high-wire act after the opening minutes.

In the end, the Heat couldn’t even win ugly.

Instead, the perfect start is over, with the 100-92 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena dropping the Heat to 5-1, as Atlanta improved to 4-1.

“They went to the zone, we got out of our rhythm and it affected us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We will get better at it and this is something we need to have a breakthrough with.”

With Dwyane Wade playing mostly as facilitator, one who was unable to make a shot, and with LeBron James forced to create much of his own offense, the Heat lacked the continuity that had fueled their spectacular start.

“Not every game is going to be able to be played out at our ideal pace,” Spoelstra said. “This was a game that simply was going to be a grind.

“We’ll adjust. We’ll adapt. We’ll work at it.”

No, this was not a busy night for YouTube when it came to cataloging Heat highlights, save for Mario Chalmers actually completing a third-quarter alley-oop to James.

Otherwise, it was the crisp-if-unspectacular efficiency of Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague, shooting guard Joe Johnson and center Al Horford that made the game.

“They clearly succeeded in slowing the tempo of the game down and we never were able to get into a clean, comfortable, aggressive rhythm,” Spoelstra. “We need to work through it. And we are going to see enough of it that we will have our breakthrough.

“You could see, our minds were heavy . . . and our minds were occupied.”

James closed with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

“On a few possessions we rushed some shots,” James said of the play against the zone. On others, he said the Heat “had some good looks,” but he also acknowledged the Heat “grew stagnant” as well.

Wade, who shot 4 of 17, finished with 12 points and 10 assists.

“I just had a bad game. There’s going to be a lot of back-to-backs and a lot of struggles,” Wade said, with Monday’s game concluding a set that opened with Sunday’s victory over the Bobcats. “I’ll bounce back like I’ve done my whole career.”

Johnson led Atlanta with 21 points, with Horford adding 16 and Teague 15. Veteran Tracy McGrady was strong off Atlanta’s bench with 16 points, including three key late 3-pointers.

“We still had opportunities to get stops,” Spoelstra said.

SportsLine.com wire reports
Jan. 3, 2012

MIAMI — Joe Johnson scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady hit a pair of big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Hawks ended Miami’s perfect start by beating the Heat 100-92 on Monday night.

McGrady and Al Horford each scored 16 for the Hawks (4-1), who opened the final period on a 15-3 run to take control. And McGrady made perhaps the two biggest plays of the night in the final minutes, first throwing a lob to Josh Smith for a dunk, then hitting a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a 93-84 lead with 2:26 left.

LeBron James scored 28 points, Chris Bosh scored 19 and Dwyane Wade finished with 12 for Miami (5-1). The Heat led by as many as 10 in the early going and took a four-point lead into the final quarter before getting outscored 33-21.

Jeff Teague finished with 15 points for Atlanta.

McGrady and Jannero Pargo made 3-pointers midway through the fourth, giving Atlanta what was then its biggest lead at 82-74. Miami twice cut the lead to four, the second of those coming when Udonis Haslem made a free throw with 3:24 remaining.

The Heat got no closer. Off a set play called during a time-out, McGrady’s lob to Smith gave Atlanta some breathing room, and then the Florida native connected from beyond the arc on the left wing to essentially seal the win for the Hawks.

As has been the case regularly this season, Miami came out flying.

A right-handed dunk from the left-handed Bosh — he went by three Hawks on the play, sprawling to the court on the landing — less than a minute into the contest got the Heat started. Wade threw a long alley-oop pass to James for another slam and a 20-10 lead.

And when the 6-foot-10 Atlanta forward Vladimir Radmanovic tried to dunk on the 6-foot-4 Wade in the second quarter, not only did he get rejected at the rim he got a stare-down as well.

More often than not so far in this young season, once the Heat get the highlight machine going — as they did against Dallas in the season opener and Charlotte on Sunday night — they’ve simply run away from opponents.

Not in this game. Atlanta had plenty of answers.

Down by 10 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta got back into the game by using a zone defense to slow down Miami. A 17-5 run not only erased the deficit, but gave the Hawks their first lead at 44-42 when Horford scored off a lob from Smith.

Miami scored the next eight points, then got unlucky on the final play of the half. Wade swatted a ball away from the baseline, but it sailed directly to a wide-open Johnson, who swished a 3-pointer as the half expired to cut Miami’s edge to 50-47 at the break.

Johnson was 4 for 4 in the second quarter, and the Hawks’ starters shot a combined 11 for 14 in the second 12 minutes.

Neither team led by more than four points in the third, and that was the cushion — 71-67 — that Miami carried into the fourth. Atlanta led by three after another jumper by Johnson with 4:39 left, but the Hawks missed seven of their final eight shots of the quarter, six of those from the perimeter. And when Shane Battier made a 3-pointer, just his third field goal of the season, with 26 seconds left in the period, the Heat were back on top.

Then Atlanta simply took off in the fourth, denying Miami any shot at the first 6-0 start in franchise history.

Notes

• Actor Adrien Brody and rapper Lil Wayne sat next to each other courtside.
• The teams play again Thursday in Atlanta, a game that will mark Miami’s fourth in five nights.
• Wade had eight assists by halftime, already tying a season high.
• Monday’s game marked just the third time McGrady played at Miami since November 2008.
• The Heat were without reserve rookie C Mickell Gladness (left foot infection). He is day-to-day.
• Hawks vice president Dominique Wilkins said G Kirk Hinrich (shoulder surgery) is still expected to miss another month.

Read More: Joe Johnson (G – ATL), Tracy McGrady (G – ATL), Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks

The Miami Heat dropped their first game of the season on Monday night at American Airlines Arena, as the Atlanta Hawks pulled away in a huge fourth quarter for an eight point win. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points, while Tracy McGrady stirred the echoes from his glory years in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points off the bench.

LeBron James led Miami with 28 points but did less work down in the post against Atlanta. Dwyane Wade had a quiet night and was just four of 17 from the floor, finishing with 12 points. The cold shooting continued in the fourth quarter, as Atlanta jumped on Miami in the first five minutes of the final quarter to take a lead that they would not relinquish. Atlanta bested the Heat by 12 points in the final 12 minutes.

Looking to start a new winning streak, the Heat will now host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night

For more news, analysis, and discussion on Miami, visit SB Nation’s Heat blog, Peninsula Is Mightier. For the perspective from the other side, visit SB Nation Atlanta and SB Nation’s Hawks blog, Peachtree Hoops. For news and notes from around the league, be sure to follow SB Nation’s NBA hub.

Joe Johnson scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady hit a pair of big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Hawks ended Miami’s perfect start by beating the Heat 100-92 on Monday night.

McGrady and Al Horford each scored 16 for the Hawks (4-1), who opened the final period on a 15-3 run to take control. And McGrady made perhaps the two biggest plays of the night in the final minutes, first throwing a lob to Josh Smith for a dunk, then hitting a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a 93-84 lead with 2:26 left.

LeBron James scored 28 points, Chris Bosh scored 19 and Dwyane Wade finished with 12 for Miami (5-1). The Heat led by as many as 10 in the early going and took a four-point lead into the final quarter before getting outscored 33-21.

Jeff Teague finished with 15 points for Atlanta.

McGrady and Jannero Pargo made 3-pointers midway through the fourth, giving Atlanta what was then its biggest lead at 82-74. Miami twice cut the lead to four, the second of those coming when Udonis Haslem made a free throw with 3:24 remaining.

The Heat got no closer. Off a set play called during a time-out, McGrady’s lob to Smith gave Atlanta some breathing room, and then the Florida native connected from beyond the arc on the left wing to essentially seal the win for the Hawks.

As has been the case regularly this season, Miami came out flying.

A right-handed dunk from the left-handed Bosh — he went by three Hawks on the play, sprawling to the court on the landing — less than a minute into the contest got the Heat started. Wade threw a long alley-oop pass to James for another slam and a 20-10 lead.

And when the 6-foot-10 Atlanta forward Vladimir Radmanovic tried to dunk on the 6-foot-4 Wade in the second quarter, not only did he get rejected at the rim he got a stare-down as well.

More often than not so far in this young season, once the Heat get the highlight machine going — as they did against Dallas in the season opener and Charlotte on Sunday night — they’ve simply run away from opponents.

Not in this game. Atlanta had plenty of answers.

Down by 10 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta got back into the game by using a zone defense to slow down Miami. A 17-5 run not only erased the deficit, but gave the Hawks their first lead at 44-42 when Horford scored off a lob from Smith.

Miami scored the next eight points, then got unlucky on the final play of the half. Wade swatted a ball away from the baseline, but it sailed directly to a wide-open Johnson, who swished a 3-pointer as the half expired to cut Miami’s edge to 50-47 at the break.

Johnson was 4 for 4 in the second quarter, and the Hawks’ starters shot a combined 11 for 14 in the second 12 minutes.

Neither team led by more than four points in the third, and that was the cushion — 71-67 — that Miami carried into the fourth. Atlanta led by three after another jumper by Johnson with 4:39 left, but the Hawks missed seven of their final eight shots of the quarter, six of those from the perimeter. And when Shane Battier made a 3-pointer, just his third field goal of the season, with 26 seconds left in the period, the Heat were back on top.

Then Atlanta simply took off in the fourth, denying Miami any shot at the first 6-0 start in franchise history.

Notes: Actor Adrien Brody and rapper Lil Wayne sat next to each other courtside. … The teams play again Thursday in Atlanta, a game that will mark Miami’s fourth in five nights. … Wade had eight assists by halftime, already tying a season high. … Monday’s game marked just the third time McGrady played at Miami since November 2008. … The Heat were without reserve rookie C Mickell Gladness (left foot infection). He is day-to-day. … Hawks vice president Dominique Wilkins said G Kirk Hinrich (shoulder surgery) is still expected to miss another month.

MIAMI (AP)

Joe Johnson scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady hit a pair of big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Hawks ended Miami’s perfect start by beating the Heat 100-92 on Monday night.

McGrady and Al Horford each scored 16 for the Hawks (4-1), who opened the final period on a 15-3 run to take control. And McGrady made perhaps the two biggest plays of the night in the final minutes, first throwing a lob to Josh Smith for a dunk, then hitting a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a 93-84 lead with 2:26 left.

LeBron James scored 28 points, Chris Bosh scored 19 and Dwyane Wade finished with 12 for Miami (5-1). The Heat led by as many as 10 in the early going and took a four-point lead into the final quarter before getting outscored 33-21.

Jeff Teague finished with 15 points for Atlanta.

McGrady and Jannero Pargo made 3-pointers midway through the fourth, giving Atlanta what was then its biggest lead at 82-74. Miami twice cut the lead to four, the second of those coming when Udonis Haslem made a free throw with 3:24 remaining.

The Heat got no closer. Off a set play called during a time-out, McGrady’s lob to Smith gave Atlanta some breathing room, and then the Florida native connected from beyond the arc on the left wing to essentially seal the win for the Hawks.

As has been the case regularly this season, Miami came out flying.

A right-handed dunk from the left-handed Bosh – he went by three Hawks on the play, sprawling to the court on the landing – less than a minute into the contest got the Heat started. Wade threw a long alley-oop pass to James for another slam and a 20-10 lead.

And when the 6-foot-10 Atlanta forward Vladimir Radmanovic tried to dunk on the 6-foot-4 Wade in the second quarter, not only did he get rejected at the rim he got a stare-down as well.

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