Dragic's 27 points help Heat win ninth straight
MIAMI -- Goran Dragic scored 27 points as the Miami Heat won their ninth straight game, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 116-93 on Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Dion Waiters added 20 points for Miami, and Hassan Whiteside contributed 18 points and 18 rebounds.
The Heat (20-30), which was 19 games under .500 only two weeks ago, has the longest active win streak in the NBA.
It's also the Heat's longest win streak in three years and the third-biggest run by an NBA team this season. Only the Golden State Warriors (12 straight wins) and the Houston Rockets (10) have longer runs.
Atlanta (28-20) was led by Kent Bazemore's 14 points.
The game featured a skirmish with 5:53 left in the fourth quarter. After grabbing an offensive rebound, Whiteside tried to go back up but was fouled hard and to the floor by Taurean Prince.
James Johnson was the first Heat player to run over and shove Prince. Whiteside, who landed on his back, was on the ground, motionless, for a couple of minutes before he finally got up. Prince and Johnson were ejected.
Whiteside remained in the game and made one of two free throws after the foul. He then completed the possession by making a jump hook.
Johnson, who injured his right shoulder on the final play of Monday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, finished with 16 points, including 13 in the first half.
Atlanta led early, 7-2, but then Miami got rolling with an 11-0 run, and the Heat led for the rest of the quarter, taking a 29-22 lead.
Miami never trailed in the second quarter and took a 62-47 lead into halftime. Miami had a 30-6 edge in points in the paint in the first half and shot 52.1 percent. Atlanta shot 40.5 percent.
Dragic had 15 points in the third quarter -- his highest-scoring period of the season -- as Miami extended its lead to 94-71.
Miami was never challenged in the fourth quarter and finished the game with a 54-36 edge in paint points, holding Atlanta to 39.1 percent shooting.
NOTES: Heat F Luke Babbitt, who suffered an ankle injury on Monday and didn't practice Tuesday, was able to start. ... Wednesday was a big day for Heat reserve F Udonis Haslem, 36. His son, 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive tackle Kedonis Haslem, signed a scholarship offer to play college football for Toledo. ... With the Atlanta Falcons preparing for Sunday's Super Bowl, many of the city's sports fans are more focused on football at the moment. But the Hawks have been a compelling story -- this was their first game since beating the New York Knicks in four overtimes last Sunday afternoon. That was only the 11th four-OT game in NBA history. ... Up next, the Hawks go to the Super Bowl host city to face the Houston Rockets on Thursday. ... Miami's next six games are against teams with losing records, starting with Saturday's visit by the Philadelphia 76ers.