Richardson’s 21 points help Heat beat Hawks

Atlanta center Dewayne Dedmon (left) defends against Miami guard Wayne Ellington (2) during the Hawks’ game in Miami.

MIAMI — Josh Richardson did a little of everything for the Miami Heat, and he earned a Dwyane Wade comparison in the process.

Richardson scored 21 points, Wayne Ellington made six 3-pointers in the second quarter and the Heat wasted a 21-point lead before recovering to beat the Atlanta Hawks 104-93 on Monday night.

Richardson had driving layups on back-to-back possessions in the final minutes, when the Heat went on a 17-6 run that decided things.

“J-Rich gets it done, on the offensive end and especially on the defensive end,” Ellington said. “He’s huge for us. He’s a leader out there on the floor. He’s really evolving, his game’s evolving, he’s getting better every day. He’s becoming the type of player he’s definitely capable of being.”

Ellington scored 20 points and Goran Dragic finished with 19 for Miami, which started 14 of 24 from 3-point range — and then went 0 for 13 the rest of the way, yet prevailed anyway.

Richardson had eight of his points in the fourth for the Heat. Plus, he was stellar again on the defensive end with two steals and two blocks.

Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince each scored 20 for the Hawks, while John Collins had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Atlanta. The Hawks went on a 3312 run in the second half to tie the game at 77, but never got the lead down the stretch even as Miami went from sizzling to icy in an instant.

Ellington’s six 3s in the second quarter tied a Heat player record for 3-pointers in any quarter, alongside only Brian Shaw in 1993, and tied the team mark for 3s in a Wilfredo Lee / The Associated Press Heat 104, Hawks 93

half. Miami’s 13 first-half 3s set a franchise record, for any half.