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Heat sends Hawks forceful message

 
Published Feb. 13, 2012

ATLANTA — LeBron James had 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 and the Heat blew out the Hawks 107-87 Sunday night after racing to a 22-point lead at halftime.

Miami made a big statement in the Southeast Division against second-place Atlanta, leading by as many as 32 in what turned into nothing more than a showcase for its Big Three.

By halftime, Wade already had 21 points, James was rolling along with 14 points and nine rebounds and Chris Bosh had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat went to the locker room with a 63-41 advantage, the Hawks having surrendered their most points in a half this season.

Miami won for the 10th time in its past 12 games.

Bosh finished with 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds. James had 13 rebounds and six assists. Wade had two steals and a blocked shot.

The Hawks starters — four of whom were averaging in double figures — combined for 40 points, led by Joe Johnson with 12. Willie Green actually led with 17 points, the reserves getting plenty of playing time as coach Larry Drew emptied his bench in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta lost for the fourth time in its past five home games, the average margin in those defeats nearly 15 points. Even more troubling, the Hawks have fallen behind by at least 20 points in all four losses.

The first two meetings between the division rivals were much more competitive. Atlanta pulled off a 100-92 win in Miami on Jan. 2, but the Heat bounced back three days later on the Hawks' homecourt for a 116-109 triple overtime victory. James and Wade missed that meeting, but Bosh carried the load with 33 points and 14 rebounds.

This time, Miami was at full strength. The result was a laugher. Atlanta actually led 13-8 in the early going, but Miami ripped off nine straight points to take control.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS: Rajon Rondo recorded a triple double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the host Celtics to a 95-91 win over the Bulls. … Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jumper with 4.2 seconds left, and the Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto. … JaVale McGee had 22 points and eight rebounds and John Wall 14 assists as the visiting Wizards routed the Pistons 98-77 and ended Detroit's season-best four-game winning streak.

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Bulls guard Derrick Rose was out again with what coach Tom Thibodeau called back stiffness and will see a specialist when the team gets back to Chicago.

Heat 107, Hawks 87

MIAMI (107): James 6-15 10-12 23, Bosh 4-14 6-9 14, Anthony 2-2 0-0 4, Chalmers 6-7 1-1 15, Wade 7-14 7-7 21, Battier 3-4 0-0 7, Haslem 2-5 0-0 4, Pittman 1-4 0-0 2, Cole 4-11 2-2 10, Miller 1-3 0-0 3, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Howard 2-2 0-0 4, Curry 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-83 26-31 107.

ATLANTA (87): Williams 2-9 0-0 6, Smith 4-12 0-0 8, Pachulia 4-4 0-0 8, Teague 2-7 0-0 6, J.Johnson 5-13 2-2 12, McGrady 1-4 0-0 2, Hinrich 2-7 2-3 6, I.Johnson 2-6 2-2 6, Green 7-12 0-0 17, Radmanovic 2-3 0-0 6, Pargo 1-4 0-0 3, Stackhouse 3-8 0-0 7, Dampier 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-90 6-7 87.

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Miami 30 33 25 19— 107

Atlanta 18 23 20 26— 87

3-Point GoalsMiami 5-12 (Chalmers 2-2, Miller 1-2, Battier 1-2, James 1-3, Cole 0-1, Jones 0-1, Bosh 0-1), Atlanta 11-27 (Green 3-3, Radmanovic 2-3, Teague 2-4, Williams 2-5, Stackhouse 1-1, Pargo 1-2, Smith 0-1, J.Johnson 0-4, Hinrich 0-4). Fouled OutNone. ReboundsMiami 58 (Bosh 16), Atlanta 48 (Pachulia 9). AssistsMiami 18 (James 6), Atlanta 26 (Smith 7). Total FoulsMiami 14, Atlanta 19. TechnicalsMiami defensive three second. A18,371 (18,729).

Celtics 95, Bulls 91

CHICAGO (91): Deng 3-12 4-6 10, Boozer 9-16 4-4 22, Noah 6-10 4-4 16, Watson 8-23 3-6 22, Brewer 2-4 1-2 5, Gibson 1-6 1-2 3, Korver 1-5 0-0 3, Asik 1-3 0-0 2, Lucas 3-9 0-0 8. Totals 34-88 17-24 91.

BOSTON (95): Pierce 4-10 0-0 9, Wilcox 5-6 1-3 11, Garnett 5-8 3-4 13, Rondo 11-22 10-13 32, Allen 3-9 4-4 11, Johnson 6-13 0-0 12, Stiemsma 0-0 0-0 0, Pietrus 1-1 0-2 3, Dooling 0-2 0-0 0, Bradley 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 37-75 18-26 95.

Chicago 23 20 23 25— 91

Boston 28 20 24 23— 95

3-Point GoalsChicago 6-20 (Watson 3-7, Lucas 2-4, Korver 1-5, Brewer 0-2, Deng 0-2), Boston 3-13 (Pietrus 1-1, Pierce 1-3, Allen 1-5, Rondo 0-2, Dooling 0-2). Fouled OutNone. ReboundsChicago 54 (Noah 9), Boston 53 (Garnett 12). AssistsChicago 20 (Brewer, Watson 6), Boston 24 (Rondo 15). Total FoulsChicago 18, Boston 23. A18,624 (18,624).

Lakers 94, Raptors 92

L.A. LAKERS (94): World Peace 3-4 1-2 9, Gasol 6-15 4-4 16, Bynum 7-13 0-2 14, Fisher 2-4 0-0 4, Bryant 9-23 6-8 27, Barnes 1-5 1-2 4, Murphy 2-4 0-0 6, Blake 2-6 2-2 7, Goudelock 3-7 0-0 7, Kapono 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-81 14-20 94.

TORONTO (92): J.Johnson 3-8 1-2 7, A.Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Gray 2-5 0-0 4, Calderon 13-18 0-0 30, DeRozan 2-13 4-5 8, Davis 4-6 1-2 9, Barbosa 4-11 4-4 12, Kleiza 6-11 2-2 15, Carter 1-2 0-0 3, Magloire 2-4 0-2 4, Butler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-78 12-17 92.

L.A. Lakers 34 20 19 21— 94

Toronto 19 27 21 25— 92

3-Point GoalsL.A. Lakers 10-23 (Bryant 3-7, Murphy 2-3, World Peace 2-3, Barnes 1-2, Goudelock 1-3, Blake 1-4, Fisher 0-1), Toronto 6-11 (Calderon 4-4, Carter 1-1, Kleiza 1-5, DeRozan 0-1). Fouled OutNone. ReboundsL.A. Lakers 53 (Gasol 17), Toronto 45 (Davis 8). AssistsL.A. Lakers 19 (Gasol 6), Toronto 20 (DeRozan 7). Total FoulsL.A. Lakers 14, Toronto 19. TechnicalsDeRozan. A19,311 (19,800).

Wizards 98, Pistons 77

WASHINGTON (98): Singleton 1-6 4-4 6, Booker 4-9 1-2 9, McGee 10-13 2-3 22, Wall 3-10 3-3 9, Young 8-13 3-3 22, Vesely 4-5 2-2 10, Crawford 2-12 0-0 4, Mack 2-4 1-2 6, Evans 0-1 0-0 0, Lewis 3-5 2-2 10, Seraphin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 37-79 18-21 98.

DETROIT (77): Prince 5-10 0-0 10, Maxiell 3-5 0-0 6, Monroe 9-19 9-9 27, Knight 1-9 0-0 2, Stuckey 2-9 7-8 11, Jerebko 3-8 0-0 6, Gordon 2-9 2-2 7, Russell Jr. 1-7 0-0 2, Wallace 0-1 0-0 0, Daye 2-9 0-0 4, Bynum 0-2 0-0 0, Macklin 0-0 0-0 0, Wilkins 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-89 18-19 77.

Washington 26 19 29 24— 98

Detroit 18 27 18 14— 77

3-Point GoalsWashington 6-15 (Young 3-6, Lewis 2-4, Mack 1-1, Wall 0-1, Crawford 0-3), Detroit 1-11 (Gordon 1-4, Prince 0-1, Daye 0-1, Jerebko 0-2, Knight 0-3). Fouled OutNone. ReboundsWashington 56 (McGee 11), Detroit 50 (Wallace 7). AssistsWashington 23 (Wall 15), Detroit 17 (Russell Jr. 4). Total FoulsWashington 18, Detroit 18. A12,654 (22,076).