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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) -- This time, the Heat didn't lose after another of
their all-too-familiar home collapses. They had Eddie Jones to bail
them out.
|  | | Heat guard Anthony Carter had a team-high four assists Friday night in Miami's victory over Atlanta. |
Jones scored 23 points, including six clutch free throws in the
final minute, as Miami defeated Atlanta 80-76 Friday night to reach
the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 18.
Miami (10-10), which beat Atlanta for the second time in less
than a week, won its fourth straight game despite blowing a
16-point halftime cushion and almost allowing a 13-point lead in
the fourth quarter to slip away.
"To be successful we have to win games down the stretch, and
tonight we did that," Jones said.
It wasn't easy, though. The night was reminiscent of recent Heat
home games in which they also wasted big leads. Miami blew a
22-point lead against Milwaukee on Nov. 28 and allowed a 13-point
fourth-quarter spread against Utah to dissolve on Dec. 1, both
resulting in defeats.
Miami led 45-29 at halftime, but the Hawks bounced back with a
16-0 run to tie the game at 51-51 late in the third period.
The Heat then closed the period on a 6-0 run, getting a pair of
baskets from Bruce Bowen and a fast-break layup from Jones to open
a 57-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Miami outscored Atlanta 12-6 to begin the fourth period and led
69-56 on a jump shot by Anthony Carter.
Atlanta closed to 74-72 on a dunk by Dikembe Mutombo, but Jones
helped seal it for Miami by knocking down six straight free throws
in the final 31 seconds.
"I don't mind going to the line with the game on the line,"
Jones said. "I like having the pressure on my shoulders."
Cedric Ceballos scored 16 points for Miami in his best game
since joining the Heat last month. Brian Grant scored 10 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season.
Alan Henderson led Atlanta with 22 points, and Jason Terry
followed with 17.
With Miami clinging to a 74-72 lead, Henderson was called for a
loose-ball foul against Jones. It came after Bowen drove the lane
and missed.
Jones then sank two free throws to open a 76-72 lead with 31
seconds left.
"It came down to a one-possession game," Atlanta coach Lon
Kruger said. "They get the offensive board and foul. At that
point, it doesn't take much to swing it either way."
Despite getting outrebounded 52-39, the Heat managed a win,
partly because of a strong bench. Led by Ceballos, Bowen, A.C.
Green and Carter, Miami's reserves outscored the Hawks' 31-9.
"We've really been energized by our bench," Miami coach Pat
Riley said. "They've come in and supplied us with energy and taken
us to bigger leads."
After a sluggish start in which they trailed 9-0 and 14-6, the
Heat used a 30-7 run to take a 36-21 lead with 4:36 left and
stretched that to 45-29 at the break.
"They were agressive tonight and you could tell that by the way
they forced our (23) turnovers," Terry said. "I'd say them and
Philadelphia are the most aggressive teams right now."
Game notes
Duane Causwell started at center for the Heat to give the
team moe of a defensive presence against Mutombo. ... Heat shooting
guard Dan Majerle, who has missed the first 19 games with a
hamstring injury, will decide in the next few days whether he's
healthy enough to join the team for next week's five-game West
Coast road trip. ... The Heat led 41-27 before starting point guard
Tim Hardaway scored his first point. He finished with four points
in 27 minutes. ... After racing to a 9-0 lead in the first 3:19,
the Hawks scored only seven points the rest of the quarter. ... The
Hawks are 1-9 on the road.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 104
Boston 91
Charlotte 92
LA Clippers 87
Miami 80
Atlanta 76
New Jersey 86
Phoenix 84
Dallas 105
Chicago 86
Philadelphia 107
Portland 94
Toronto 108
Golden State 92
Seattle 103
LA Lakers 95
Sacramento 111
Houston 98
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