The plane bringing them home from south Florida arrived in Massachusetts shortly before 3 o’clock on Wednesday morning.

A weary group of Celtics should have been savoring an impressive road victory over the Miami Heat, but there were other pressing matters at hand.

They had sleep to catch up on, and they had yet another game – the fourth in five nights – against the well-rested and younger Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday evening.

The Celtics have been rolling along since the All-Star break with very few stumbles, but here they were smack in the middle of a seemingly no-win scenario.

A fatigued, veteran team playing on fumes against a team that had been idle since Saturday night certainly didn’t appear to add up in the Celtics’ favor?

So how to explain what happened at the TD Garden where the Celtics continued their amazing late-season charge by willing themselves to an 88-86 overtime victory over the Hawks?

How to explain the Celtics not having a letdown after their emotional win in Miami or keeping the victories coming despite having Ray Allen (sore right ankle) unavailable?

“It just says we have great character, a tough-minded group,’’ said coach Doc Rivers after his team won for the 11th time in the last 14 games. “They really are.

“You could see they wanted to win the game so bad and you could see the way we played. Going into it, what I told the coaches is we’ve got to just keep it close, hang around for the fourth quarter.’’

Said Brandon Bass after contributing 21 points and 10 rebounds: “I think Doc came in and laid it out and let us know that there were no excuses tonight. Everybody’s tired, but he told us to just go out there and fight and do what we do every night – and that’s grind.’’

This should have been the night the Celtics, winners of four in a row and 19-7 since the break, took the foot off the gas. They should have been sitting ducks for the Hawks, who were in need of a win over the Celtics to avoid losing a potential tiebreaker.

Instead, the Celtics fought through layer after layer of adversity with Rajon Rondo (another triple-double with 20 assists, 10 rebounds and 10 points on a night when he missed 13 of 16 shots), Kevin Garnett (22 points, 12 rebounds), Bass, Paul Pierce (14 points) and Mickael Pietrus (a key performer in his return from a concussion) leading the way.

They were obviously a step slower, were battling fatigue and had to overcome two offensive foul calls in the final minute of overtime.

“This team has resolve,’’ said Rivers. “They figure it out. They like each other and I think that allows us to win games on certain nights we shouldn’t win.

“I think this team has a resolve about them that allows them to stay in games that I think other teams would let go of the rope.’’

The rejuvenated Garnett was again superb and Rondo extended his streak of double-digit assists games to 19, second only to John Stockon’s 29.

“Rondo was sensational,’’ said Rivers. “He didn’t want to come out. He said, ‘Because we’ve got tomorrow off, let me just go.’

“I know he’s on a run. I know he’s playing very well. I don’t need the numbers to tell me that. He’s just playing extremely well. He’s been spectacular. It’s not just him. It’s everybody.’’

Even on weary legs and fresh off an emotional win more than 1,500 miles away the previous night, the Celtics still managed to open eyes. They went 5-2 in an 11-day stretch against teams with winning records and are now tied with the Hawks and Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference while owning tiebreakers over both.

“You think about your summer workouts and these are the things that help you in moments like this,’’ said Garnett of pushing through the way the Celtics did. “You see doubt, it’s right in front of you and you go right through it. We were able to stay strong and fight through fatigue and make plays when we had to.’’

Read More: Joe Johnson (G – ATL), Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks might have to play without Joe Johnson again Friday night against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Johnson is a game-time decision, according to a report from the Hawks public relations staff. Johnson has been suffering with tendinitis in his knee for a while now and if he misses Friday’s game, it will be the fifth straight game the Hawks play without their best player.

In the four games Johnson has missed so far, Atlanta is 3-1, with its most recent loss coming at the hands of the Miami Heat. Until the injury, Johnson was averaging 17.6 points a game for the Hawks, who hold a 23-16 record as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Friday’s game between the Hawks and Pistons is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.

For updates on the Atlanta Hawks and the Joe Johnson injury, visit Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

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.

MIAMI (AP) There was a moment in the final seconds where LeBron James was waving his arms, motioning for another sellout Miami Heat crowd to quiet down so Dwyane Wade could shoot free throws in peace.

For much of the game, it was the Atlanta Hawks keeping them quiet – until the Heat perked up just in time.

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

”We needed one of these games,” James said. ”It’s about time we had one of these games where we had to fight for every minute, all the way down the stretch. … It was good for us to close this game out.”

Miami won its 11th straight at home and had to come from 10 points down in the third quarter to extend that 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.

”Sometimes you have to win them ugly,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”And that was ugly there for a while.”

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 tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it hit the rim and bounced away.

”He had a decent look at it. It just didn’t go down,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. ”We had an opportunity, but we squandered it 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 just under 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, with James asking for quiet.

”We stuck with it until we eventually got the lead,” Wade said. ”And we were able to hold on and get a good win.”

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.

”I stopped playing football a long time ago,” James said. ”But I still have football traits.”

Wade blocked a 3-point try by Stackhouse with 16 seconds left in the third, Shane Battier swatted away an attempt by Ivan Johnson on the final play of the quarter, and the Hawks scored only six points in a span of 10 minutes, 12 seconds stretching into the fourth quarter.

But when Atlanta snapped out of it, with Teague making two layups in a 21-second span, it was suddenly a game again, with the Heat up only 77-75. Another basket by Teague tied it, and Smith’s 3-pointer with 3:29 left put the Hawks back on top.

”We’re steadily growing each and every day,” Smith said. ”We’re starting to put consistent games together where we’re playing together. We’ve been unselfish. We have to limit our turnovers more, especially down the stretch.”

Miami scored the next six, Haslem’s jumper with just over a minute to go giving the Heat an 83-80 lead.

”They put that team out there as a world-beater,” Stackhouse said. ”We came in here and competing with them just as well as much as anybody else and we felt we should have won the game.”

Notes: James passed Rick Barry for 55th on the NBA’s career scoring list. At his current pace, James would catch No. 50 Isiah Thomas in early April. … Wade, James and Bosh are the first three teammates to all eclipse the 250 field-goal mark this season. … Wade made the 4,000th free throw of his career in the game. … The Hawks led 45-43 at the half, despite Miami being whistled for only two fouls and Atlanta not shooting a single free throw. The Hawks’ first trip to the foul line came with 9:06 left in the third. … Smith tried 12 shots in the first quarter, something only Michael Beasley, Kobe Bryant and DeMarcus Cousins had done this season.

(TO COMMENT, CLICK ON “COMMENTS” TOP LEFT)—

    A look at the starting lineups, inactive lists and referees for Wednesday night’s game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks at AmericanAirlines Arena:

Starting lineups

HEAT (29-9)

Center: Joel Anthony

Power forward: Chris Bosh

Small forward: LeBron James

Shooting guard: Dwyane Wade

Point guard: Mario Chalmers

  Inactive: Terrel Harris, Mickell Gladness.

HAWKS (23-15)

Center: Zaza Pachulia

Power forward: Josh Smith

Small forward: Marvin Williams.

Shooting guard: Kirk Hinrich

Point guard: Jeff Teague

  Inactive: Jason Collins, Al Horford, Tracy McGrady, Willie Green, Joe Johnson.

Referees: Marc Davis, Derrick Collins, Kevin Fehr.

Pregame note of note: The Heat have won a season-high 10 consecutive home games, the streak their longest since they won 14 consecutive home games from January 22, 2007 through March 16, 2007. It is the seventh double-digit home winning streak in the franchise’s 24 seasons. The franchise record for consecutive home victories is 18, set from January 23, 2005 to April 5, 2005.

The Philadelphia 76ers kick off a tough two game stretch on Friday, January 20 when the Atlanta Hawks visit. After facing mostly light competition, the 76ers will face the 11-4 Hawks one night before traveling to face the Miami Heat. This is a pivotal stretch for this team. Coming off of a loss to the Denver Nuggets, the 76ers need to play well against these teams in order to convince everyone that they are for real. As a fan, I believe the team will have no problem going 1-1 in this stretch. Obviously, beating Atlanta is the easier option to earn a win.

The Hawks are playing good basketball and enter this game with a four game winning streak. The Hawks own wins over the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, arguably the two best teams in the NBA. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are both playing great ball for the Hawks. As a team, Atlanta has one of the best offenses in the league. That means the Philadelphia defense will have to be on point. The 76ers have been mostly strong on defense though they did struggle in the loss to Denver. This is the kind of game where the team can rebound and play well.

The other advantage for the 76ers involves depth. They run a lot deeper than Atlanta and that should help them win the game. The important thing is getting more from the starters. Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday need to shoot the ball better than they did against the Nuggets. If that happens the 76ers should be in control of the game.

The 76ers might still miss Spencer Hawes as he nurses an injured Achilles. That would be a major loss given Atlanta’s strength under the basket. If Hawes can’t play, rookie Nikola Vucevic will need to have a huge game. Elton Brand also needs to contribute with rebounds. It won’t be easy to beat Atlanta inside but it is possible.

Winning this game is crucial for the 76ers. They don’t want to take a two game losing streak into Miami. If they are going to become contenders, these are the kind of games you have to win. Atlanta is good but they are not a championship team. Hopefully Philadelphia can get the job done and bring momentum into the game against the Heat.

* – Mark Paul is a Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan. Follow him on Twitter here.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Kris Willis

– College Hoops Contributor

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Jan 5, 2012 – The Atlanta Hawks return home from a three-game road trip with a 1-2 record but with a lot of confidence. After a loss on Saturday to the Houston Rockets, Atlanta rebounded on Monday by handing the Miami Heat their first loss of the season. On Tuesday, Atlanta led by as many as 19 points against the Chicago Bulls before a late rally and some missed free throws delivered a 76-74 win to the Bulls.

Thursday night, Atlanta returns home to open another brutal stretch of games with a rematch against the Miami Heat. The game will be the first of three straight for the Hawks who will travel to Charlotte on Friday before returning home for another matchup with the Bulls on Saturday. When the dust settles on Sunday, Atlanta will have played nine times in the first 12 days of the season which is the most of any NBA team.

In Miami on Monday, Atlanta was able to slow the pace of the game down in part by throwing a zone defense at the Heat in an effort to limit their drives to the basket and to make them a jump shooting team. LeBron James had a big game but Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade finished with sub par shooting nights.

Look for more of the same from the Hawks on Thursday as they can not afford to get in to a track meet with the Heat. For now, becoming a consistent ball club is what coach Larry Drew is looking for the most. Here is what he had to say after the win over Miami on Monday.

“If you look at this game and the game at Houston, you see two different ballclubs,” Drew said. “We have to become a more consistent ballclub. When we reach that stage, yeah, we can start talking about statements. Right now we are just trying to find ourselves as a club and get better.”

For more on this game, Hawks fans should check out Peachtree Hoops. Heat fans should take a look at Peninsula is Mightier. For more news and analysis on the NBA, check out SB Nation’s NBA page.

Read More: Chris Bosh (F – MIA), LeBron James (F – MIA), Dwyane Wade (G – MIA), Larry Drew (A – ATL), Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks

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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 Miami Heat suffered their first loss of the 2011/12 NBA season, losing 100-92 against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 2.

The Heat came out strong against the Hawks, taking a three point lead into halftime. Both teams remained competitive for the rest of the contest, but the Heat had no answers for the Hawks in the final moments of the game. Tracy McGrady had a solid fourth quarter for the Hawks, knocking down several big threes, and sealing Miami’s fate.

“He played exceptionally well,” LeBron James said after the game. “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.”

Atlanta’s zone defense certainly bothered Miami, and that seems to be the Heat’s biggest weakness so far.

“We need to work through it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “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.”

Once again, LeBron led Miami’s offense, putting up 28 points (game high), 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Chris Bosh also had a decent outing for the Heat, walking away with 19 points and 6 rebounds of his own.

Dwyane Wade on the other hand struggled with his shot, but he still had an efficient game against Atlanta, finishing with 12 points, 10 assists and 3 steals.

Shane Battier had a good showing off the bench, converting on three of his four shots from long range. Battier finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Udonis Haslem continued being a force to be reckoned with on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds (game high).

Miami will get a chance for some payback when they face the Hawks again on Jan. 5. Before that though, they’ll face the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 4, for the first time in the 2011/12 NBA season.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Hawks open fourth with 15-3 run to race past Heat”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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Wade expects other NBA teams to copy Miami Heat

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Miami Heat Ruins Mavericks’ Championship Party

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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.