Hawks grounded
High-riding Atlanta lose to NBA’s second-worst team
The Atlanta Hawks, fresh off a victory over LeBron James and Cleveland, saw their six-game win streak snapped by the NBA’s second-worst team, Philadelphia, while the Cavaliers ripped Phoenix.
Philadelphia’s Luc Mbah a Moute and Hollis Thompson each scored a gamehigh 19 points to spark the 76ers over Atlanta 92-84 while Russian big man Timofey Mozgov scored a game-high 19 points to power the Cavs past Phoenix 89-79 in Cleveland on Saturday.
A night after the Hawks solidified their spot as the top team in the Eastern Conference by beating Cleveland 106-97, Atlanta squandered an 11-point lead after the first quarter against the lowly 76ers, who had lost nine of their prior 10 games.
Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington each scored 12 points while Nerlens Noel grabbed 17 rebounds for the 76ers, who improved to 14-49 on the season.
Jeff Teague scored 17 points while Dennis Schroeder added 16 points off the bench for the Hawks, who fell to 49-13 and behind Golden State (48-12) in the fight for the NBA’s best overall record.
At Cleveland, Mozgov connected on 6-of-8 shots from the floor and 7-of-8 free throws in the triumph.
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James added 16 points while Kevin Love had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Tristan Thompson came off the bench to score 16 points and grab 12 rebounds.
The Cavaliers improved to 40-25, just ahead of Toronto and just behind Chicago in the fight for second place in the East.
Markieff Morris scored 16 points to lead the Suns, who fell to 33-31, 10th in the Western Conference and two games behind Oklahoma City for the eighth and final playoff berth in the West.
In Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 10 of his 28 points in overtime to help the injury-hit Miami Heat to a 114-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Miami rallied from a 16-point thirdquarter deficit to beat the Kings, despite having only nine players available because of injuries.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game that so many of his players were receiving treatment before tip-off he wasn’t even sure who would play.
“We’ll go with who we have,” Spoelstra said. “Whoever laces them up, we’re going with the mentality that is enough.”
It included Wade, back in action one night after sitting out Friday’s defeat at Washington with a sore right hip.
Guard Goran Dragic was out due to a sore back. An ankle injury sidelined centre Hassan Whiteside and Luol Deng missed his second straight game with a thigh contusion.
Reserve centre Tyler Johnson helped fill the void, contributing 24 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Heat.
With the win, Miami moved into playoff position in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, with the same 28-34 record as seventh-placed Indiana.
But the two teams have ninth-placed Charlotte on their heels.
“Definitely a must-win when you look at the standings,” Johnson said.
“Every game is important. We lose one and all of sudden we’re out of the playoff picture.”
Michael Beasley scored 18 points and Mario Chalmers added 12 with seven assists for Miami.
Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins posted 27 points and 17 rebounds, but fouled out in overtime. Rudy Gay also scored 27 for the Kings. — AFP