The Hawks continued their winning ways against the Heat and maintained their place atop the Southeast Division.
The Hawks (4-1) defeated the Heat 98-92 Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena. They have won four straight overall after a season-opening loss and seven straight against the Heat (2-2).
The Hawks led by as many as 15 points with a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive effort.
Three key players
Jeff Teague: The Hawks point guard finished with a game-high 26 points and nine assists. He was a plus-20 in the first half and opened the third quarter by scoring nine of the Hawks' first 11 points.
Al Horford: The Hawks center recorded his second straight double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Hassan Whiteside: The Heat 7-foot center is a monster inside and gave the Hawks fits. He made 11 of his 12 shots. He finished with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Five observations
Need a closer
The Hawks led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and by 14 heading into the final period. The Heat reeled off 10 straight points to begin the quarter. They pulled within four points at 79-75. Justin Holiday broke the run with a corner 3-pointer at the eight-minute mark. The Hawks were able to put the game away but not before it got more interesting than it had to be with a home crowd revitalized.
No answer
The Heat had no answers for the speed of the Hawks guards. Teague and Dennis Schroder drove by Goran Dragic, Mario Chalmers and Tyler Johnson time and again. The duo combined for 30 points and 12 assists. They also combined for seven turnovers.
Solid second
The Hawks took control of the game in the second quarter. They started with a 16-2 run and opened up a 15-point advantage, 41-26. Their lead was 11 by the end of the period as they limited the Heat to just 7 of 24 shooting and forced five turnovers.
Flagrant foul
Dwyane Wade was called for a Flagrant 1 foul - after a review - against Paul Millsap in the second quarter. Millsap drove the lane and Wade hit him across the head following a windup. Millsap also landed awkwardly on his right ankle as he fell to the ground. He remained in the game. The Hawks failed to capitalize as Millsap made just one of the two free throws and they missed a shot on the ensuing possession.
Go big
The Hawks’ big lineup – with Millsap at small forward, Horford at power forward and Tiago Splitter – has become a regular part of the rotation. Splitter was again the first substitute (for Kent Bazemore) against the Heat to set the lineup. The three played together for just 2:32 until the next timeout when coach Mike Budenholzer rested Horford. In that span they helped turn a 13-12 deficit into an 18-13 lead. The same substitution was used in the third quarter.
