The mighty are falling.
Hard.
The Hawks have lost three straight and five of the past six games after a 105-87 defeat at the hands of the Heat Sunday at American Airlines Arena.
The Hawks (27-22) are falling down the standings. They were third in the Eastern Conference and first in the Southeast Division just a week ago. Now, they are fifth in the conference and second in the division with the Heat being one of the teams to jump them.
The Hawks trailed by as many as 22 points after a dreadful first-half shooting performance. They would get as close as nine point
The Heat (27-21) have won four straight, a feat they accomplished for the first time since LeBron James left South Beach a year and a half ago.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Amar'e Stoudemire: The Heat center started with Hassan Whiteside injured and had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes.
Chris Bosh: The all-star finished with a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr.: The reserve guard had season-highs with 10 points. He played much of the second half as Kyle Korver struggled from the field (0 of 6).
Five observations
1. From bad …
The Hawks had a tough start offensively. They started the game making just 1 of 7 shots. They ended the first quarter making 7 of 22 (31.8 percent). Most of the shots were open looks that just missed, including three good two-point looks from Korver that all missed. The Heat led by as many as 14 points in the quarter and were up by 10, 27-17, after the period.
2. … To worse
The Hawks somehow had a worse shooting percentage in the second quarter. They finished just 4 of 17 (23.5 percent). They trailed by as many as 20 points. For much of the quarter the Hawks were in danger of scoring less than the 12 points, their season low for point in any quarter. The 12th point came with 1:12 left in the period. For the half, the Hawks shot 28.2 percent. Good thing the Heat went the final 3:22 of the half without scoring so the Hawks trailed only 47-34 at the intermission.
3. Millsap slow early
Paul Millsap started despite coming off left ankle sprain that cost the power forward the second half of Thursday’s loss at the Pacers. He struggled during the first half and appeared to favor the injury at times. He went 1 of 7 from the field with three rebounds and two turnovers for six points. Millsap had nine third-quarter points on 4 of 4 shooting and 17 for the game.
4. Hawks rally
The Hawks rallied in the third quarter and got as close as nine points, 71-62, with a 17-5 run near the end of the period. It would be as close as they would get. The Heat scored the final four points of the quarter and took a 75-62 advantage into the final quarter, the same 13-point advantage they held at halftime. The Hawks shot a much-better 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) from the field in the quarter but their deficit was too much to overcome.
5. Heat push tempo
It was the Heat that played the up-tempo game to the detriment of the opposition. They beat the Hawks at their own game and pushed the ball up court much of the night. They had a balanced attack with five players in double-figure scoring.
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