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Hawks try to solve the Heat in Miami

Mar 7, 2012 - 3:55 PM (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh is back in the Miami lineup and that spells bad news for the rest of the NBA. The Heat are tough to beat when they're clicking on all cylinders and look to carry the momentum of Tuesday's blowout into Wednesday's showdown with the Southeast Division-rival Atlanta Hawks.

Bosh returned from a three-game absence due to the death of his grandmother in Tuesday's 108-78 pounding of the New Jersey Nets in the opener of a three-game homestand, and finished with 20 points in almost 25 minutes. LeBron James scored a game-best 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out six assists to help the Heat snap a two-game skid and win for the 10th time in 12 tries.

"We missed him," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Bosh. "I'm glad he got a chance to come back and get his rhythm back. He played well tonight."

Dwyane Wade tweaked his ankle late in the second quarter and sat out the remainder of the contest. Wade had 13 points and is expected to play tonight versus the Hawks. Norris Cole had 13 points off the bench for Miami, which has won 10 straight at home and is 16-2 in south Florida. The Southeast Division- leading Heat will close out the homestand Saturday versus Indiana.

Atlanta comes into tonight's contest riding a three-game winning streak and with wins in four of its last five games.

The Hawks opened a six-game road trip with Tuesday's 101-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers, as Josh Smith led the way again with 27 points and nine rebounds. Smith, who is averaging 23.4 points and 12.4 boards in the last five games, has taken over the scoring load with All-Star Joe Johnson still nursing a balky left knee. Johnson has missed three straight and five of six games. He is averaging 17.6 points per game and is expected to miss Wednesday's game.

Jannero Pargo posted 16 pounds and both Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia netted 12 points for Atlanta, which is 11-9 as the visitor and will also make stops in Detroit, Sacramento, Denver and Los Angeles (Clippers).

"[The Pacers] are too good to where they are not just going to go away," said Atlanta coach Larry Drew. "Particularly on the road, we have to learn to withstand the runs. I'm proud of our guys for weathering the storm. They didn't panic."

Atlanta has dropped two of three games to Miami this season and eight of the previous 10 meetings overall. The Heat are 25-5 in the past 30 matchups as the host in this series. James is averaging 25.5 points in two games against the Hawks this season and 28.6 ppg in 30 career encounters.