Joe Johnson, Hawks rock Heat in Game 5

Joe Johnson was due for a big game.

The Hawks’ captain labored through four games in this first-round playoff series against Miami without once looking like the three-time All-Star who sparked the resurgence of the franchise.

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Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com

The Hawks were physical in Game 5, including Mike Bibby going to the floor to scrap with Miami’s James Jones for a loose ball.

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All that changed Wednesday night, when Johnson and super sixth-man Flip Murray got loose in the Hawks’ 106-91 Game 5 victory over the Heat.

They turned it up inside and out as the Hawks ran past the Heat for a 3-2 series lead before a sellout crowd of 19,051.

Johnson led a balanced Hawks attack with 25 points, his first game in the series with more than 15 points. He made only six of his 15 shots from the floor but went 12-for-15 from the free-throw line and also had six rebounds and six assists.

Murray scored 23 points off the bench, including 15 second-half points to keep the Hawks’ double-digit lead safe.

“We finally found some offense in this series,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “Joe finally had a breakout game. I thought Flip Murray was huge coming off the bench. We were able to score a little bit tonight.”

Game 6 is Friday night in Miami, where the Hawks turned the series around Monday with a tough Game 4 victory before a hostile Heat crowd.

If they want to move on to face Cleveland in the second round they’ll have win another road game in this series or come back here Sunday to host Game 7.

“Now comes the hard part,” Hawks forward Josh Smith said. “When somebody is on the doorstep of getting eliminated, that’s when it gets real. We just have to go back down there to Miami and handle business. We have to go down there with a business attitude and play our game.”

The Hawks’ celebratory mood Wednesday was tempered a bit before halftime when starting center Al Horford sprained his right ankle with 2:32 to play. Horford was sandwiched between Heat star Dwyane Wade and James Jones on a baseline drive to the basket and came down awkwardly.

He had his ankle placed in an iced compression boot at halftime and did not return. “It did swell up a little bit, but we got on it so fast I think that helped,” Horford said after the game. “I think [Thursday] will be the real test, where we can see how it is. But if I can get some treatment on it the next couple of days, we’ll see by Friday.”

If Horford can’t play, that means the Hawks would have to finish the series without two starters. Starting small forward Marvin Williams hasn’t played since spraining his wrist late in Game 2 and is likely out for the remainder for the remainder for the series.

“We’re can’t let anything stop us,” Smith said. “If we’re trying to finish this thing off right, we have to grind through with whoever we’ve got in uniform.”

A game the Hawks led by 23 points before halftime turned into a grappling match early. Smith and Wade collided chasing a loose ball near midcourt with 3:47 to play in the first quarter.

Wade needed assistance to get up off the floor and into the Heat locker room, where he stayed until early in the second quarter.

Things got crazy after Wade returned, when Solomon Jones fouled Wade on a drive to the basket with 9:55 to play.

Jones and Wade went nose-to-nose before Heat reserve center Jamaal Magloire interrupted by shoving Jones. Josh Smith intervened on behalf of Jones and by the time everyone was separated, there were double technical fouls issued for all four players.

Wade was called for a flagrant foul-1 on a hard foul on Mo Evans on a fast break with 9:11 to play, a lick that served to inspire the Hawks. They went on a 35-17 run after that play to blow the game open.

“That’s what playoff basketball is all about,” Evans said. “It’s as physical as anything you’ll ever do in basketball. That’s why when you have success, you know it was well-earned.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t in a good mood afterward. He insisted that the Hawks were trying to embarrass his team, courtesy of a wild through-the-legs dunk attempt on a fast break by Smith in the fourth quarter, long after the Heat’s final attempt at a comeback had been thwarted.

“They kicked our butts in pretty much every way possible,” Spoelstra said. “It turned into a highlight show after a while. They were trying to embarrass us, but they did what they had to do … and pretty much pounded us in every way, shape and form.”

The Hawks also did a defensive number on Wade for most of the night. He finished with a game-high 29 points, but made only nine of his 19 shots from the floor. He was also 10-for-13 from the free-throw line. But he didn’t create shots for others off his penetration like he did in the Heat’s victories in Games 2 and 3.

And he didn’t get nearly as much assistance from his supporting cast as Johnson did.

Smith finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Mike Bibby added 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Evans was the only other Hawks player to reach double digits, finishing with 10.

“Every team that’s hit first has won the game,” Bibby said. “Tonight we hit first. And now we have to Miami Friday night and hit first, and we’ll see how things turn out.”