The Heat scored the last 11 points of the game to stun the Grizzlies. 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. Some of it was the Heat’s defense, some of it was just missed shots. Goran Dragic had seven rebounds and eight assists to go with 12 points as the Heat won each of the first three quarters.
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Goran Dragic added 12 points despite having part of a tooth knocked out in the third quarter. Trainer Jay Sabol was working on Dragic to help stop the bleeding.
After losing three straight games, the Miami Heat have managed to bounce back with two consecutive and impressive wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks on back-to-back nights. This time, the Heat led comfortably most of the way, the margin in double figures through almost the entire second half as they held on for their first win over Atlanta since December 23, 2013.
The Hawks were coming off Saturday’s 103-78 home loss to the Spurs, when they mustered only 25 first-half points.
But it ended with a gap-toothed smile, and that’s what mattered most when Monday’s night/’s 100-88 victory over the Hawks at Philips Arena was over. Since winning seven of their first eight to start the season, Atlanta has gone 7-11.
“I know he’s much taller than me, so I tried to get close to him so he could not shoot, and then I don’t really know what happened”, Dragic said. Ironically enough, Bosh is also the Heat’s best three-point shooter, hitting on nearly 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Green did the rest, finishing 9 of 14 from the field. On the whole, ball movement and shot selection were reasonably good, but Atlanta failed to connect on shots all over the court, and Miami needed only moderate competence to gain a nine-point halftime lead.
Atlanta’s Paul Millsap scored 18 points, but Horford, with 13, was the only other starter in double figures.
Heat: F Josh McRoberts said out his third straight game with a bruised right knee. Erik Spoelstra said both players have improved in the last few days, but gave no timetable for their return. Assistant coach Keith Smart was not with the team because of an undisclosed medical condition….
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Hawks: Bazemore was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the previous seven games behind Thabo Sefolosha. “Most people – if they get their [teeth knocked out] – want to go to the locker room”. Head coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff need to establish more of an inside-out offense that isn’t so reliant on jump shooting and rushed layups against solid rim protectors. Bosh will look to keep his strong play going on Wednesday night against the Nets.
