The Atlanta Hawks have a 47-45 lead over the Miami Heat at halftime of the preseason opener for both clubs. Atlanta fell behind 26-19 in the first quarter but a strong showing in the second quarter has Atlanta up at the break.
LeBron James leads Miami with 10 points in 16 minutes of playing time. Chris Bosh has seven while Shane Battier and Ray Allen finished the half with six each. Miami shot 51 percent in the first half and made 4-7 from downtown.
Lou Williams leads all scorers with 11 points off the bench for the Hawks. Josh Smith and DeShawn Stevenson have eight points while Al Horford added six. The Hawks hit 45 percent of their shots and were 4-9 from beyond-the-arc.
Larry Drew gave 11 players playing time in the first half and experimented for a short stretch with a three-guard lineup of Jeff Teague, Williams and Stevenson. Damion James had a nice run in the second quarter drawing the difficult assignment of guarding LeBron. James played 13 minutes off the bench in the first half and finished with two points, two rebounds and two assists.