Hawks at Heat
After a crushing defeat, the Miami Heat return home for an extended homestand they hope will solidify their playoff chances. The Heat open a stretch of nine of 11 games on their own floor when the Atlanta Hawks visit Saturday. Miami squandered a 10-point, third-quarter lead Friday in New Orleans, falling 104-102 when Dwyane Wade's 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the back iron.
After losing three of four, Atlanta seems to have rebounded with a third straight win Friday against Orlando. After winning in Milwaukee, the Hawks beat Dallas and Orlando at home and return to Philips Arena after this one for games against Houston and Cleveland. Atlanta has two double-digit wins over Miami this season and has won four straight in the series since dropping nine in a row.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), Sun Sports (Miami)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (46-12): Paul Millsap drained four 3-pointers in the first quarter — matching his season high for a game — and scored 20 points in the 95-88 win over Orlando. Jeff Teague is slumping a bit, averaging just 11.8 points on 40 percent shooting over his last six games. However, in two games versus Miami this season, Teague has scored 43 points on 13-of-22 shooting with 15 assists, while Millsap has 33 points and 15 rebounds and Kyle Korver has knocked down 7-of-12 shots from beyond the arc with 30 points and nine assists.
ABOUT THE HEAT (25-32): Luol Deng led Miami with 22 points and Goran Dragic added 20 against New Orleans, but most of their points came in the first half. Henry Walker, who was signed to a 10-day contract earlier this week, has scored 37 points in his first three games and has drained nine 3-pointers. He is the former Bill Walker, a second-round pick of the Wizards in 2008 out of Kansas State who has played with Boston and New York.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Miami is 9-1 this season when Deng scores 20 points.
2. The Hawks have made at least 10 3-pointers in 35 games this season, tying the team record set last season.
3. Heat F Michael Beasley had seven points and two rebounds in 10 minutes in his first game for the Heat this season after signing a 10-day contract.