Playoff bound.
The Hawks clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a stirring 98-85 victory over the Heat Saturday night at Philips Arena.
Jeff Teague carried them there.
Teague scored 25 points in the win as the Hawks clinched the eighth and final spot and eliminated the Knicks. It is the Hawks seventh straight postseason appearance, the longest current streak in the conference although they will enter with a sub-.500 record. The Hawks will face either the Heat or the Pacers in the first round next week.
The Hawks (37-43) have won three straight and five of the past six games. The win is the second straight over the Heat and ties the season series, 2-2.
By clinching the playoff berth, the Hawks are locked in to the 15th pick in the NBA draft.
The Hawks led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter. They led by 11 points after DeMarre Carroll stole a cross-court pass and started a four-on-one break that ended with a Mike Scott dunk to put the Hawks up 83-72 with 6:09 remaining.
Teague has averaged 21 points over the past six games. Lou Williams added 23 points, including 18 fourth-quarter points. Carroll (17 points), Scott (12) and Paul Millsap (11) finished in double-figure scoring.
The Heat (54-26) are left fighting with the Pacers for the top seed in the conference. They have lost four of their past six games. LeBron James finished with 27 points. Dwyane Wade returned after missing nine straight games and finished with 24 points.
The Hawks took a 69-62 lead into the fourth quarter after holding the Heat to just 11 third-quarter points. Carroll and Teague each scored eight points in the third period.
The teams played a back-and-fourth first half and went into intermission tied 49-49.
The Hawks took an eight-point advantage in the first quarter with a 13-2 run in which Teague scored the last nine points. The Hawks would push their advantage to nine points in the second quarter and lead 33-24.
The Heat answered with a 25-9 run to turn the deficit into a seven-point advantage. Wade scored the first nine points of the run. By the time he came out of the game in the second quarter he had made all seven attempts. The Hawks closed the period with a 7-0 run to deadlock the game after two quarters.
The Hawks have two games remaining in regular season – home against the Bobcats Monday and at the Bucks Wednesday.
Notes: Prior to the game, a moment of silence was observed for Lou Hudson, the Hawks' all-time great who died Friday. The Hawks also wore a black stripe on their jerseys.
Pero Antic dressed but was only expected to play in an emergency. The Hawks center has been dealing with a sore right ankle. He missed Wednesday’s game against the Celtics. He played 18 minutes against the Nets Friday and had four points and one rebound.
“I think he is dealing with an ankle we are trying to manage, keep healthy and keep him in a good place,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. “I think him not playing tonight his best.”
Elton Brand made his third straight start at center.
Wade started for the Heat after missing nine straight games with a strained left hamstring. Prior to the game, Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said if Wade started he would “not carry a full load.” Wade was inactive for the previous three games against the Hawks.
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