Luol Deng Nets Season-High 30pts to Lead Miami Past Atlanta

Jeff Teague led the team with 23 points on 9-14 shooting, including 3-7 from three.

Miami was without the services of Dwyane Wade, who sat out the game with a sore left knee, while Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh were also out of the lineup and didn’t travel with the team. McRoberts contributed 19 points and ten assists in one of his finer games since joining Miami before last season.

Korver insisted Atlanta players didn’t assume it would be easy to beat the depleted Miami team.

“We easily could have said we had guys out, we could have said we lost this game, that’s the reason for it, ” Deng said.

Horford averaged 18.8 points in four games prior to the All-Star break, while Teague scored 20 per game and hit 14 of 26 from 3-point range over his past six.

With just nine players available, the Heat manufactured timely baskets in the closing minutes of a close game to come away with a 115-111 win.

Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroeder (17) drives to the basket under Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, in Atlanta. “It’s just some soreness I haven’t felt in a while so I just want to make sure everything’s good”. One season after missing 30 games with blood clots in his lung, Bosh reportedly is back on blood thinners due to a clot in his left leg, which caused the forward to pull out of Sunday’s All-Star game with what was described as a calf injury.

With the Southeast Division lead at stake, the clubs return to action Friday night when short-handed Miami looks to take the season series and win for the sixth time in seven road games. “It has to come out in the games, and we believe it will”. Amare Stoudemire had six points and six rebounds in his 11th start of the season…. I want to go back and get a second opinion, but it’s nothing I’m overly concerned about. But the Hawks again came back on the strength of seven 3-pointers, three from Korver and two from Schroder, whose trey at the buzzer gave Atlanta an 81-79 lead. The young center had been punished for a flagrant foul in a recent game against San Antonio. Schroder had 16 points. Atlanta was without newly reacquired G Kirk Hinrich, obtained from Chicago in a three-team deal that sent G Shelvin Mack to Utah and G Justin Hoiday to the Bulls. Justise Winslow added 13 points and nine rebounds.