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The new look Atlanta Hawks got off to a solid start by defeating the Miami Heat 92-79 in what was both team's preseason opener. Atlanta outscored Miami 45-34 in the second half and took advantage of some Heat turnovers and pounded the offensive glass for second chance points.
Josh Smith turned in a solid effort finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and two steals in just over 26 minutes of action. Lou Williams made his debut for the Hawks scoring an efficient 18 points off the bench while making 5-6 shots and 6-9 free throws. DeShawn Stevenson added 11 points and was 3-6 from beyond-the-arc. Atlanta shot 41 percent from the field and were out rebounded by the Heat but made up for it by scoring 27 points off of 23 Miami turnovers and by coming up with 19 second-chance points.
Chris Bosh led all scorers in the game with 22 points and also grabbed six rebounds. Norris Cole added 13 points while LeBron James finished with 10 points and six assists in 23 minutes. Ray Allen also made his debut for the Heat scoring 10 points off the bench.
The Hawks are back at it on Monday with a pair of training camp practices before hitting the road for an exhibition game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
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