Beasley’s Big First Half Helps Heat Burn Hawks 92-75

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap

Dwyane Wade

The Atlanta Hawks, believe it or not, were suffering through a three-game losing streak prior to their game Monday night against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley had other ideas. Wade and Beasley combined for 50 points as Miami took control early on, en route to a 92-75 win over Atlanta.

The Heat made its final seven shots of the first quarter, fueling a 15-2 run that built a 30-14 lead, and the Heat were off and running. Beasley drove for an easy basket, as the Heat went up 44-21 midway through the second quarter, and the lead ballooned to as much as 25 before Atlanta outscored Miami 8-0 to make it 51-34 at intermission.

How bad was it for the Hawks in the first half? Even with that spurt, the opening two quarters were a debacle for the Hawks. Atlanta set a season low in first-half scoring (previously 41), got outrebounded 28-13 in the first 24 minutes, and really was only saved by Jamal Crawford — who had 15 points by the break, while the rest of his teammates managed only 19 on 7 of 27 shooting.

The Hawks settled in during the third quarter, getting 14 points from the starting backcourt of Johnson and Mike Bibby after they combined for only four in the opening half. But Wade scored nine in the period to ensure the early Heat cushion stayed relatively intact, and Miami took a 73-58 lead into the fourth. Both teams went back-and-forth in the final period as the Heat coasted to the victory.

The Heat’s high scorer was Wade with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and a block while Beasley chipped in 22 with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks; Udonis Haslem added 12 with 8 rebounds. The Hawks had only two players in double-digits, led by Crawford from off the bench with 23 points, 4 rebounds and an assist while Joe Johnson added 11 with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

Miami (17-15) plays again on Wednesday when they host the Boston Celtics while Atlanta (21-12) returns home to host the New Jersey Nets – also on Wednesday.

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One Response to “Beasley’s Big First Half Helps Heat Burn Hawks 92-75”

Heels in the League (NBA) 01/04/10 | The 5th Corner on January 5th, 2010 10:18 pm

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