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Heat-Hawks Preview

Feb 10, 2010 - 5:43 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Miami (24-27) at Atlanta (32-17), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Miami Heat's starters were able to relax and enjoy the end to their longest losing streak of the season with a blowout victory.

If recent history is an indication, they will have needed that rest in their attempt to snap a season-high four-game skid away from home.

In the opener of a five-game trip, the Heat will try to end that losing streak Wednesday night with their first road victory over the Atlanta Hawks in nearly three years.

Miami (25-27) ended a five-game slide by blowing out visiting Houston 99-66 on Tuesday night. The Heat put away the game early by making 13 of 15 shots over a 9 1/2-minute span in the first half en route to a season-high, 25-point halftime lead.

"Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we came in with the right mindset to work and try to get better," coach Erik Spoelstra said.

They held on to that cushion, which allowed Wade and two other Miami starters to sit out the final period. Michael Beasley left with 8:09 remaining and Jermaine O'Neal took a seat less than three minutes later.

"The first team came out and established the game early," said Wade, who had a team-best 17 points. "The second team came in and pushed the game away. If we can continue to get that energy nightly from our bench, we'll be able to win most of our games."

The Heat, though, haven't won back-to-back games since Jan. 22-23, and heading to Philips Arena doesn't seem like a promising way to accomplish that feat.

The Hawks (33-17) are 21-5 at home and have won five straight there. Miami, meanwhile, has dropped five in a row in Atlanta since its last win March 21, 2007.

The Heat have also lost seven of 10 overall meetings since the start of the 2007-08 season, including a 105-90 road defeat Nov. 18. Joe Johnson scored 30 points to lead the Hawks and has averaged 25.4 points in his last five home meetings with Miami. Wade, fifth in the league this season with a 26.7-point average, was limited to 15 on 6-of-18 shooting.

The Heat's star guard, though, scored a team-best 28 points in a 92-75 home win over Atlanta on Jan. 4, and Michael Beasley added 22, giving him 22.3 points per game in his last four matchups with the Hawks.

Atlanta was held to a season low for points in its worst shooting performance (35.2 percent). The Hawks had just two players in double figures, led by reserve Jamal Crawford's 23 points.

Crawford had a team-best 28 in Tuesday night's 108-94 win in Memphis and was one of six players in double figures in Atlanta's third straight victory.

"It wasn't just me," Crawford said. "It was all my teammates finding me and coaching running some great plays. I had the easy part, just knocking the shots down."

The veteran guard has averaged a team-leading 22.3 points during the win streak, and Johnson's 23.0 points per game have paced Atlanta in its five straight home victories. The game against the Heat is Atlanta's lone home game until Feb. 24.

The Heat haven't lost five straight on the road since dropping their final nine games there in 2007-08.