Atlanta Hawks: Heat 101, Hawks 92 (updated)
Vivlamore reporting from Miami.
The Hawks had a chance to overtake the first-place Heat.
They are still looking up at the defending NBA champions. LeBron James was the biggest reason.
James scored a game-high 27 points as the Heat defeated the Hawks 101-92 Monday night at American Airlines Arena. James set a Heat regular-season record with his 24th consecutive 20-point game.
The Heat (14-5) used a 14-2 third-quarter run to break open a close game en route to the victory over the Hawks (12-6) in a battle for the Southeast Division lead. The Heat, winners of both games against the Hawks this season, now hold a 1.5 game lead in the division. The Heat also prevented the Hawks from taking over second place in the Eastern Conference.
“We just didn’t play aggressively in the second half,” guard Jeff Teague said. “We let them dictate how we were going to play, starting with me. We were kind of timid. We really didn’t have any fast-break points. From them playing at home, where they are very explosive, I think we were nervous to play our game.”
The Heat also got 26 points from Dwyane Wade and 14 points from Chris Bosh in a game where they shot 58.2 percent from the field. The Hawks were the only team in the NBA not to allow an opponent to shoot 50 percent from the field in a game this season.
The Hawks had a three-game win streak snapped and lost for only the second time in the past 11 games.
“They were scoring the ball at such will that we couldn’t get those missed shots and get out and run,” center Al Horford said. “When we did get the stops we were slowing it down. Those are things we have to go back and do a better job defensively so we can get more fast-break opportunities.”
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 22 points. Horford added 20 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double game.
The Hawks only had four fast-break points, six second-chance points and 16 assists. When the Hawks got behind in the fourth quarter they started settling for jump shots, including 28 from behind the 3-point line.
“We are a team right now that I can easily say controls its own destiny,” center Zaza Pachulia said of the Hawks defensive issues. “So, I’m going to blame ourselves. We could have done a better job and we didn’t.”
The Heat took the first real control of the game in third quarter. They went on a 14-2 run, including nine straight points, to take a 10-point advantage. Wade scored eight points during the run.
The Heat led 56-54 at halftime on the strength of a James’ three-point play on their final possession. The Hawks trailed by just two points at intermission despite the Heat shooting a blistering 63.9 percent (23 of 36) from the field. At one point in the second quarter the Heat were shooting 69.2 percent from the field and led by only three points. James had 16 first-half points in building the lead.
The Hawks shot 46.3 percent in the first half (19 of 41). They stayed in the track meet of a game by hitting seven 3-pointers (four by Stevenson, three by Smith), causing five turnovers and holding a 17-16 rebound advantage.
“We made entirely too many mistakes, too many mental mistakes, against a very good basketball team,” coach Larry Drew said. “Against Miami you can’t do that. You have to be efficient with your defense. Offensively we had to execute. We ended up shooting too many 3s. We ended up shooting 28 3s and you better be making them if you are going to take that many.”
Most of the bounces in the first half went the Heats’ way. James got a dunk off a loose-ball scramble in the first quarter. He had a layup in the second on an errant pass that was headed out of bounds before it bounced off an official and right into his awaiting hands.
There were 17 lead changes and eight times tied in the first half.
The Hawks end their three-game road trip, which began with a victory over the Grizzlies, against the Magic on Wednesday.
“We see where we are at,” Horford said. “They are missing some guys (Udonis Haslem) and we are missing Kyle (Korver), a big part of our team. We feel good where we are at right now. We know we have some work ahead of us but we are confident as a team.”
- Chris Vivlamore
LATEST NEWS
* First place on the line vs. Heat
* Josh Smith named Player of the Week
* 3-pointers may be key to defeating Heat
* Harris not settling for jumpers
* Korver out vs. Wizards, Grizzlies
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @AJCHAWKS
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
119 comments Add your comment
Slimjr
December 10th, 2012
10:55 pm
Smith will be shown the door if the Falcons lose another playoff game..[0-4]
Better start packing.. Greyhound leaves on the hour.
Rusty
December 10th, 2012
10:56 pm
JT does not play good with Harris in lineup ,he takes him away from running offense,same with Lou who is really not a pg but wants the ball in his hands. We need to give JJ a run can’t really hurt.i am so tired of LD playing games with Ivan,play the man,idiot. He didn’t play him in the playoffs against the Celts when we really needed his rebounding & toughness, just like we need now,someone needs to ask LD why he is not playing him,why the fk was he playing games with Macgrady last year. I really cant stand LD.
Rod from College Park
December 10th, 2012
11:01 pm
“As for the Falcons, what ails them is that old-fashioned, resistant to change/progress white-haired troll by the name of Mike Smith.”
Does not look like that strong running game means much tonight. I hope Smith and the boys are paying attention. The game has changed. The Falcons should be throwing the long ball 5 to 10 times per game with our personnel. But all we get is a heavy does of Turner for 1 yard and Matty checkdown for 4 or 5 yards a pop.
Rob
December 10th, 2012
11:05 pm
Let’s break down Drew’s quote, shall we?
“You have to be efficient with your defense.”
Then why did you start Stevenson and Harris, two of your worst defensive starters, and no minutes for Ivan, your best post defender?
“Offensively we had to execute. We ended up shooting too many 3s.”
It tends to happen like that when you start three guards, no? Why’d you do that?
“We ended up shooting 28 3s and you better be making them if you are going to take that many.”
Then why didn’t you take out the guys who were missing them and put in guys who take more high percentage shots?
Slimjr
December 10th, 2012
11:05 pm
Hey Danny I forgot to also mention that the Knicks have two legit Allstars!
GM 101:
Stars+Winning= fills the Arena.. One without the other not so much…
Rusty
December 10th, 2012
11:12 pm
Playing 2 pgs in your starting lineup doesn’t work for the offence or defense.Harris is not really doing much sort of like KH who LD favored.
soullrenaissance
December 10th, 2012
11:12 pm
The Hawk that was suppose to chill the Heat to the bone ebded u being a cool breeze. Trade Harris. Play Ivan, he is not terrible LD. Korver rest up and come back asap. Maybe he had been playing too many minutes compared to his bench role in CHI.
Rob
December 10th, 2012
11:16 pm
Damn, Rusty just compared broken down Harris to old broken down Hinrich… and they both cost like 8 million. Drew loves him some old broken down guards, doesn’t he?
Slimjr
December 10th, 2012
11:16 pm
Fact Checker eat this:
Matt [ICE] Ryan has gone 2-2 in the last 4 games with only 4 TD’s and 8 turnovers..Hmmmmmmm
Sameba
December 10th, 2012
11:18 pm
I truly do hope that Harris starts because they want to showcase him. But Ivan should definitely have played tonight. When the opposing team shoots so well, there is not much to rebound for Zaza. And Zaza cannot guard PF’s or SF’s – The heat does not have conventional C’s on the roster…
Najeh Davenpoop
December 10th, 2012
11:27 pm
Keep in mind, also, that no matter how well the Hawks play this year, the primary goal is to have cap space this offseason. Ferry is not going to trade for anyone that eats up this summer’s cap space. So when looking for a potential trade involving Harris, keep in mind that Ferry will only take expiring contracts.
There are not a ton of options out there once you limit it to expiring contracts. Mike Dunleavy has an expiring contract in Milwaukee, but I doubt they would trade him for Harris when they already have a ton of small guards on the roster.
Rusty
December 10th, 2012
11:28 pm
Rob your so funny but so right.
Rusty
December 10th, 2012
11:32 pm
Samba it doesn’t pay to showcase someone if they don’t play well,Harris usually doesn’t but hey LD things he is great & really hates Ivan & JT as well.
Rod from College Park
December 10th, 2012
11:39 pm
“I mean honestly if Kyle Korver was here today, this game may have been ours.”
The delusion of Hawks fans is laughable. Now Kyle Korver is the guy who would beat Lebron James and D. Wade. SMH
Grandad
December 10th, 2012
11:45 pm
Najeh ……. and everyone else *** please read *** everyone
About Josh :
I have never [not] liked Josh, though he has driven me to anger.
Josh has as many foibles as he has gifts which are many.
As for Josh and his B-ball IQ, or lack thereof,
there can be no doubt.
Also, for as remarkably foolhardy as he plays [consistently];
He plays equally with abandon, or as I like to say:
“ Balls to the Wall “.
He is also unselfish, a good teammate, and plays the game
With the attitude of a *little boy.
Before I go on – I must explain that last phrase:
*he plays the game like a little boy !
That`s a compliment my friends.
I think LBJ does the same thing to a certain degree.
In other words – Josh is still having fun playing basketball.
Yes, in the past, I`ve said:
“I would trade Josh for Pau Gasol”.
No longer ! Primarily due to Pau`s age.
I still think PG is a future HOF-er / and I do not think Josh will get in w/o a ticket.
Another reason for Josh remaining a Hawk … is Al.
I think they are friends and exceptional teammates with one another.
They share a special chemistry together that`s hard to come by.
I`ve always known that, but this yr, sans JJohnson, has driven the point home.
This team is not far away.
I trust DannyFerry to get it right / and get the job done.
G`dad
Sameba
December 10th, 2012
11:46 pm
“The delusion of Hawks fans is laughable. Now Kyle Korver is the guy who would beat Lebron James and D. Wade. SMH”
May be would not… However, is it questionable that this team is better with KK than without him?
BravesFan79
December 11th, 2012
12:04 am
One thing coach Drew needs to do is give Morrow a start at the 2 or 3 to get his confidence up. Because without a doubt he would hit a greater % of 3’s than Harris or Stevenson. Seems like Morrows confidence has been down since Drew didnt give him much PT in a loss in a place where he used to shoot the lights out as a rookie, Golden State.
Grandad
December 11th, 2012
12:09 am
LD again trying to match up with Miami,
rather than exploit their weaknesses.
1st – tonite was not a night for Zaza / not the right personel,
unless he needs to go in and lay someone out with a head-butt.
2nd – Why ever let LBJ dribble ?
As soon as he puts it on the floor;;; double team / trap.
Or, pick and roll trap immediately !
Force him to pay from the basket – without rhythm.
3rd – If he gets loose, foul early and hard / No and ones !
never let him even get to the basket.
4th – ***** IVAN *****
5th – Al & Josh are not getting enough shots ** NOTE – INSIDE SHOTS !
6th – the officials make me sick every time we play Miami.
LBJ with the carry at the end of the 1st pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffttt
and others.
Rod from College Park
December 11th, 2012
12:09 am
“May be would not… However, is it questionable that this team is better with KK than without him?”
Yes. Morrow is just as good. If the coach would simply put Morrow in the game in Korver’s spot the results would be the same. Both are great knock down jump shooters.
Grandad
December 11th, 2012
12:13 am
Force him to *[pay] *[ ____ ] from the basket
should have said:
Force him to *play *away from the basket
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
12:15 am
Rusty:
I do not know why you think LD hates Teague. Our PG played almost 40 minutes tonight. He scored 11 points and made only 3 assists. But most importantly, he had 5 TO’s – one of them came in a very decisive moment in the 3rd quarter, when score was equal and Hawks had a ball… Can we think that playing Teague so much is not very reasonable? May be he gets tired? In my opinion, Teague has some kind of a mental problem – he is not a natural leader… He is too shy to fight… This could, at least partly, explain his inconsistency. If so, he will not develop into the great player…
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
12:22 am
^he will not develop into the great PG…
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
12:25 am
Rod from College Park:
I am not against Morrow, and I think he should have started today. However, I believe KK is a higher caliber player.
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
12:30 am
Grandad:
So it seems LD still has to learn alot… May be he just is not up to the task?
mac
December 11th, 2012
12:39 am
We should really go after Corey brewer he is hav ing a great season he is averaging 12 points in 21 minutes a game shooting 45 percent from the floor and 38 from three he gets almost2 steals a game… He is 6 9 long and a pest on d and he only makes 3 million on a expiring deal
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
12:45 am
mac:
Corey Brewer would be fantastic in the Hawks uniform
Rod from College Park
December 11th, 2012
12:47 am
“However, I believe KK is a higher caliber player.”
Kyle Korver Career Stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.8rbg, 1.6apg, 87%FT, 41%3pt, 43%FG
Anthony Morrow Career Stats: 11.7 ppg, 2.9rbg, 1.2 apg, 89%FT, 42%3pt, 45%FG
Mookie Blaylock
December 11th, 2012
12:49 am
OK fellas, I’m trying to think about this on a lighter note. This was a Miami team that shot over 60% in the first half and were only up by 2 at halftime. They barely fell off that pace, finishing at 58%, yet still we werent exactly crushed. Is this a positive considering past Hawks teams? Miami shooting such a high FG % in the past would have resulted in one of the random 20-30+ loss laughers we used to give up, right? At least we still were a play here and there on O and D from being right there in the 4th at certain points. I’m not sure former Hawks teams would have even been in the game with Miami shooting so well.
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
12:55 am
Rod from College Park:
Career stats reflect the past. Also they might not say everything, e.g. about playing time etc. In the past, I was not interested in the NBA teams that much, just was watching my favorite team (Celtics) sometimes (I did not live in North America). However, I heard about Korver many times, but did not even know who is Morrow
From what I see now, KK’s overall game with Hawks is very solid, but cannot say the same about Morrow…
Rusty
December 11th, 2012
1:02 am
Samba the offense should run thr JT but I don’t think that LD will ever let that happen. We should not be playing JT with Harris in the starting lineup. The offense should run thr JT period.
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
1:04 am
Rusty:
This is what I also wish…
Sameba
December 11th, 2012
1:06 am
And Harris should lead the second unit…
Najeh Davenpoop
December 11th, 2012
1:55 am
Korver moves well without the ball. Morrow doesn’t. Other than that, they are pretty much the same, but that is an important difference.
Smokey
December 11th, 2012
2:01 am
Morrow needs consistent PT to get some confidence up but he’s as solid as KK.
They have slightly different games KK cuts hard, Morrow I think has more options on the dribble if he cant get the catch and shoot.
Grandad
December 11th, 2012
2:56 am
It`s astonishing to me that JJenkins has not seen relevent PT
in KKorvs absence, plus DSteve`s nite off on bck to bcks ?
How will LD ever know what he`s got, if `n he don`t play the kid.
Buddy Grizzard
December 11th, 2012
3:18 am
From the time Lou checked in with 4:35 to play in the third until Josh checked back in with 9:15 left to play in 4th, the Hawks went from down 4 to down 12.
Once again the end of third/start of 4th span is what killed the Hawks:
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20121210&game=ATLMIA
Buddy Grizzard
December 11th, 2012
3:31 am
“Kyle Korver Career Stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.8rbg, 1.6apg, 87%FT, 41%3pt, 43%FG
Anthony Morrow Career Stats: 11.7 ppg, 2.9rbg, 1.2 apg, 89%FT, 42%3pt, 45%FG”
Which player has put up those stats on winning teams more frequently?
Johnny
December 11th, 2012
3:36 am
Tough loss last night. We had no answer to Wade and lebron. Too often the D not occured and this led to wide open threes from Wade or Miller. A real SF is missing. When Josh rested James could do what he wanted. And then the settling for 3 pointers. I mean, teague threw a fastbreak three. The only at the team who could do is, is korver or eventually Morrow. No doubt he can drop a three. But when there is a fastbreak he had to run. Also Stevenson after an Off rebound quickly threw a three instead of give the ball to the pg. For a new turn.
Nevertheless you can lose at Miami espacially when they are hitting all their attempts.
vava74
December 11th, 2012
3:40 am
What the %&$#”&” happened to Ivan?
After getting some deserved praise, LD lays a major egg on this one.
Ivan has proven that he thrives in big games, that he is unafraid and go all out against any opposition.
And LD hands him over a DNP-CD???
Ivan would knock down Wade, Lebron and Bosh all in the same play and make them know that we might lose, but they winning against us would hurt.
Johnny
December 11th, 2012
3:51 am
I am with you at this point vava74.
Also we saw that Ivan can defend Bosh a lot bettet then zaza did. And Ivan would not allow James or someone else to drive that easy to the basket. Too often the guys only looked on when the Heat cut. The interior D has not taken place. I say not that Ivan would be the solution of the problems but playing him could have helped
vava74
December 11th, 2012
6:45 am
Rod,
Raw stats mean nothing AND YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT ALL THE TIME.
Morrow has game, but he is not as disciplined as Korver executing the offense and being vocal on D.
Korver may be a man-to-man liability on D but a lot of guys have mentioned that he has been a leader on the floor knowing where everyone must be on D.
On offense, Morrow is substantially more resourceful than Korver, who is a pure shooter whilst Morrow along with his shooting has a pretty interesting midrange game.
I like them both, but to say that Morrow is a better player just by looking at career stats is not what I expected from you and the only justification I see for that is prejudice.
Double Zero Eight
December 11th, 2012
7:36 am
You can’t win a conference or NBA title
without a superstar. Just making it to the
playoffs is not enough for most fans now.
It will be of the the same this year in the
playoffs. This roster cannot win a conference
final.
Double Zero Eight
December 11th, 2012
7:36 am
Prior post should have stated “more of the same”.
justahawkfan
December 11th, 2012
7:53 am
Surely you guys are not complaining about a loss in miami. If they had won last night it would’ve been great but none of you was really expecting a win. Were you? I think going forward we should be a little more realistic about our team. We have a really good team but….
DB
December 11th, 2012
8:05 am
A loss is a loss. This was not a bad defeat…miami didnt blow the doors off of us as years past. Im not into moral victories but its not all doom and gloom. Had the Hawks played their game and defended they would have won. Simple as that.
ag
December 11th, 2012
8:46 am
Rob, Wade shot 11-13. Could Korver had done much worse?
DS
December 11th, 2012
8:48 am
Wow…seems like some people in this blog are just waiting for the Hawks to lose a game and come criticize them. Please keep in mind we have a 12-6 record just behind Miami….and guess what? We got to this point with the same team that lost to the champions last night…
ag
December 11th, 2012
8:51 am
Mookie, it is a 82 game season. Do you guys expect us not to lose anymore. If we lose 32 games this season, the Hawks will do better than anyone would believe. This was a tough game, a game we didn’t get the calls, and for the most part, if DS shot would have kept falling, we would have been fine.
I said before the game, I think JJ needs some burn to help JT0. Spacing the floor really helps. I also like a shooter at SG – that allows Josh to play SF. Pachulia gave us nothing.
DS
December 11th, 2012
8:56 am
Smoove an Big Al are one of the best frontcourts in the league. And to think that most people here were saying that they can’t play together…actually some of you are still saying that…good thing you’re not running a ball club!
ag
December 11th, 2012
8:59 am
If we make a trade, I would like to get JJ Hickson or Corey Brewer