After Quick Stop At Home, Heat Begin New Trip In Atlanta
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ATLANTA (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – Following a tough home loss to the rival New York Knicks, the Miami Heat may get a reprieve opportunity less than 24 hours later.
The Atlanta Hawks are spiraling in the wrong direction and aim to halt a seven-game losing streak when they host the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Atlanta got off to a sizzling 9-2 start but 10 defeats in the past 11 games have dropped the squad two games below .500 as they face a Heat team that is ravaged by injuries.
Power forward Paul Millsap (hip) returned from a three-game absence and contributed 24 points and three steals but it wasn't enough as the Hawks dropped a 102-99 decision to the Oklahoma City on Monday.
The close setback could be viewed as progress after Atlanta lost its previous two games to Detroit and Toronto by an average of 40 points.
Miami will have only nine players available as key players like forward Justise Winslow (wrist) and shooting guard Dion Waiters (groin) continue to sit out.
The Heat lost 114-103 to the New York Knicks on Tuesday and have suffered six defeats in the last nine games entering a three-game road trip that includes stops in Cleveland and Chicago.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE HEAT (7-14): Goran Dragic suffered some elbow pain in the final minutes of the loss to the Knicks but coach Erik Spoelstra said that the point guard will be healthy enough to play Wednesday.
That's good news for the reeling Heat as Dragic scored a season-best 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting (including all four 3-point attempts) against New York. "Goran was sensational," Spoelstra told reporters. "Intensity of play is a skill and Goran has that."
ABOUT THE HAWKS (10-12): The long funk led to coach Mike Budenholzer changing the lineup as guard Thabo Sefolosha moved into a starting role and swingman Kyle Korver headed to the bench.
The switch seemed to energize Korver as he tallied 15 points on five 3-pointers against Oklahoma City after he averaged just 5.3 points on 5-of-21 3-point shooting over the previous six games.
Center Dwight Howard played just 19 minutes in the loss to the Thunder and is averaging six points on 7-of-19 shooting over the last three contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
- The Hawks recorded a 93-90 victory over the Heat on Nov. 15 to halt a three-game slide in the series.
- Miami C Hassan Whiteside notched his 17th double-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds versus the Knicks.
- Atlanta SF Kent Bazemore missed all seven shots in a scoreless effort Monday and is 6-of-30 shooting over the past three games.
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