(My Sportsbook) - Joe Johnson put the
Atlanta Hawks on his back in last night's overtime triumph versus the Portland Trail Blazers. Atlanta's leading scorer will try to do it again Wednesday, when the Southeast Division-rival
Miami Heat pay a visit to Philips Arena.
Atlanta improved to 5-0 at home and have won the first two tests of a four- game residency. In Tuesday's 99-95 victory over the Blazers in OT, Johnson scored 18 of his season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to extend the Hawks' current winning streak to five games, while putting the brakes on Portland's six-game run.
"I thought in the second half we really defended," Johnson said. "(We) gave ourselves a chance...I told the guys on the bench, 'We've got one more quarter to give ourselves a chance.' We came out and got to the free throw line and made plays."
Josh Smith added 20 points and 16 rebounds for Atlanta, which got 15 points and 10 boards from Al Horford and will also host Houston on the homestand. The Southeast Division-leading Hawks swept the season series with Portland for the first time since 1996-97 and pushed their 2009-10 record to 9-2.
Meanwhile, the Heat will hit the road for back-to-back games against Atlanta and Toronto, and are 2-0 away from South Florida this season.
The Heat just completed a five-game homestand with a 3-2 mark, but lost two of the last three contests in the stretch, including Tuesday's 100-87 setback versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant burned Miami with 32 points, while Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Jermaine O'Neal ended with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Daequan Cook chipped in 17 points off the bench for Miami, which fell to 7-3 on the season and sits third in the Southeast standings behind Atlanta and Orlando.
"They're a very athletic team, a young team that has improved on both ends of the floor. They are a lot more aggressive on the defensive end; getting a lot of stops," said Cook.
Heat forward Udonis Haslem left the game with a shoulder injury and is questionable for Wednesday's game. Haslem had five points and nine rebounds against the Thunder.
Atlanta defeated Miami in seven games in the first round of last season's Eastern Conference playoffs and took three of four meetings during the regular season. These two teams have split the last 12 matchups, but the Heat are winless in their last four trips to Philips Arena.
