Tyler Herro returned from a lengthy injury to score 24 points and lead the visiting Miami Heat to a 128-97 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Herro had missed 15 straight games with a fractured rib, the latest in a series of injuries that caused him to miss 45 games this season. He came off the bench to shoot 9 of 14 from the field with four rebounds and three assists in his first action since Jan. 15.
The win gives the Heat, the No. 8 team in the Eastern Conference, a 3 1/2-game lead over the Hawks, who remain in the No. 9 spot. Atlanta, which was starting a five-game homestand, dropped to 10-16 at home.
Bam Adebayo scored 17 with eight rebounds and Norman Powell added 15 for Miami.
Atlanta was led by Jalen Johnson, who had 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for his 11th triple-double of the season. The Hawks also got 22 points from Onyeka Okongwu and 20 apiece from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum.
Miami took advantage of a sluggish Atlanta attack and held a 29-16 lead after one quarter. The Hawks shot just 29.2% from the field (7 of 24) and only 1 of 8 on 3s. Herro scored eight to help Miami build a double-digit lead midway in the opening quarter.
Miami led by 15 in the second quarter when the Atlanta shooters began to warm up. The Hawks shot 7 of 13 on 3-pointers and roared back to tie the game 46-all on a free throw by Okongwu at 2:12. The stunned Heat recovered and outscored Atlanta 11-5 to take a 57-51 lead into halftime.
The Heat regained control in the third quarter and used a 10-0 run midway to carry an 87-75 advantage into the final quarter. Miami then opened the fourth by scoring the first 11 points to put it away.
Miami leads the season series 2-1 and won both games in Atlanta. The final meeting will be in Miami on April 12, the season finale for both teams.
