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Young, Collins power undermanned Hawks past Heat

The Hawks snapped their 3 game losing skid Sunday evening when they welcomed the Heat to State Farm Arena
Credit: AP
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ATLANTA (AP) - Trae Young scored 19 points, John Collins had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game skid with a 106-82 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night.   

Young received a big compliment when the game ended, as 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, who is retiring after the season, took his jersey off at halfcourt and made a swap with the Atlanta rookie.  

Perhaps it helped Wade get over the Heat's worst performance of the season. Coming off two straight wins that had moved it over .500 for the first time since Oct. 27, Miami was listless all night against a rebuilding team missing its second- and third-leading scorers and lost for the third time to an opponent that has just 12 victories.

DeAndre' Bembry finished with 17 points in a starting role, and Jeremy Lin came off the bench to add 15 for Atlanta.    

Young, the NBA's fifth overall draft pick, had some dazzling moves handling the ball, but he finished with just two assists. His skills were still enough to impress Wade.  

Derrick Jones Jr. led Miami with 14 points, Justise Winslow scored 13 and Wade and Josh Richardson each had 11 for the Heat, who seemed disinterested in defending after the Hawks jumped to a comfortable lead late in the third.    

Miami missed 20 of its first 22 attempts beyond the arc before Wade hit his 500th career 3-pointer. He joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history with at least 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 3s.   

The matchup seemed heavily in Miami's favor with the Hawks coming off a 32-point loss at Milwaukee, but the Heat struggled throughout the first half, going 1 for 16 on 3s, getting outrebounded 33-24 and committing 10 turnovers that led to 11 Atlanta points.   

The Hawks scored 15 points in the second, their lowest output in the second quarter this season, and had 10 turnovers in the period.  

It only got worse in the third as the Heat kept whiffing and Atlanta jumped to a 19-point lead on consecutive 3s by Daniel Hamilton and Lin. Lin followed with consecutive runners.   

The Hawks jumped out to an 18-6 lead, but Miami was up 33-31 in the second when Rodney McGruder hit a layup. The Heat did not lead again.    

TIP-INS   

Heat: G Dion Waiters is still far from 100 percent. He missed his second straight game since making his first appearance in over a year when the Heat won at Cleveland last Wednesday. Waiters, who played because Wade was sidelined by a virus, is still limited by a sore left ankle that required surgery last January.  

Hawks: With G Kent Bazemore out the next two weeks with a right ankle injury, Bembry made his third start. Hamilton started in Friday's blowout loss at Milwaukee. ... Lin had his 500th career assist.   

SHOWING WADE LOVE 

The Hawks showed a video tribute to Wade early in the first quarter. He received a standing ovation, smiled and waved to the crowd.   

It didn't take Wade long to stir excitement when entered the game a few minutes later. He flipped a backward pass over his shoulder to assist on Jones' dunk and took a pass on the baseline to hit a double-pump reverse layup that cut the lead to 23-16.   

After the game ended and he walked off the court holding Young's jersey, Wade stopped to another standing ovation on one end of the arena. He signed some autographs, smiled and headed into the tunnel. 

UP NEXT

Heat: Host Denver, the Western Conference leader at 26-11, on Monday.

Hawks: Visit Toronto, tops in the East with 29 victories, on Monday.

    

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