More: Hawks squander opportunity against Heat
The shorthanded Atlanta Hawks went into Miami Wednesday night and gave the Heat a scare before falling 89-86. Atlanta led by as many as 10 points in the second half before a rash of turnovers late ultimately did them in.
Atlanta was their own worst enemy in the game committing 22 turnovers that lead to 32 points for the Heat. Combine that with a 19-8 advantage in made free throws for Miami and it proved to be more than the Hawks could overcome.
Josh Smith led the way with 23 points while Jeff Teague added 16. Jerry Stackhouse pitched in 10 points off the bench while Zaza Pachulia added nine points and 10 rebounds.
LeBron James scored 31 points to lead the Heat with Dwyane Wade adding 18. Chris Bosh finished with just nine points on 3-14 shooting from the field. Udonis Haslem chipped in eight points off the bench.
Atlanta played the game without Joe Johnson who sat out the game with while recovering from tendinitis in his knee. Willie Green also missed the game with a back injury and Tracy McGrady sat it out to rest his ailing knee on the second night of the back-to-back.
The loss snaps the Hawks three-game winning streak and evens their record on their current six-game road trip at 1-1. Atlanta will travel to Detroit on Friday for a matchup with the Pistons.
For more on this game Hawks fans should check out Peachtree Hoops and Heat fans should stop by Peninsula Is Mightier. For more news and analysis from around the NBA head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.