(Sports Network) - Two of the top teams in the Southeast Division get together
Monday night as the Miami Heat entertain the Atlanta Hawks in south Florida.
Miami got back on track with Saturday's 106-90 victory over the New Orleans
Hornets behind 26 points from Dwyane Wade. LeBron James added 24 points, seven
assists and five rebounds for Miami, which shot 58 percent from the floor and
made 7-of-11 3-pointers (63.6 percent).
Ray Allen and Shane Battier both scored 11 points in the win.
"We didn't do everything right but the commitment on the defensive end was
better than the last two games," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the Heat
ended a two-game slide and won for the seventh time in nine tries.
The Heat, who improved to 9-0 when shooting at least 50 percent, are 1-1 so
far on a six-game homestand and will also host Golden State, Washington and
Minnesota.
James has at least 20 points in all 18 games this season for a Miami squad
that has scored at least 100 points in nine of the 10 home games, averaging
109.4 ppg in that time.
The Hawks opened a three-game road trip with a 93-83 triumph at Memphis on
Saturday thanks to Lou Williams' 21 points off the bench, including 13 in the
fourth quarter. Williams also made 4-of-6 3-pointers.
"It was looking like another night where I wasn't going to impact the game,"
said Williams. "I just went out with a blaze and it worked out in my favor."
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 24 points and Al Horford added 19 points and a
game-high 14 rebounds for Atlanta, which has won three straight and nine of
its last 10 games. Horford has posted five straight double-doubles, averaging
18.0 points and 12.4 rebounds over that stretch.
Hawks guard Kyle Korver missed his fourth straight game due to back problems
and is expected to miss tonight's game in Miami.
The Hawks, winners of three straight away from Philips Arena, will close out
the road swing Wednesday at Orlando.
Atlanta dropped a 95-89 home loss to the Heat on Nov. 9 this season and has
lost four straight and 10 of the last 12 meetings. The Hawks haven't fared too
well in south Florida either, losing 17 of the previous 21 games there.
The Sports Network