Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The All-Star break came at the wrong time for
the reigning MVP, but LeBron James picked up right where he left off prior to
his trip to Houston this past weekend.
Although it wasn't a 30-point, 60-plus percent shooting effort, it was still
more than enough to allow the Miami Heat to win their eighth straight game.
James filled the stat sheet with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go with 11
assists, six rebounds and four steals in the Heat's 103-90 triumph over the
Atlanta Hawks.
James averaged 30.8 points on 71.7 percent shooting during an unprecedented
six-game stretch where he tallied at least 30 points on 60 percent from the
field.
He came up shy of extending his streak to seven in Miami's final tilt before
the break, a victory in Oklahoma City over the Thunder. James finished with 39
points and shot a 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) clip from the floor.
Dwyane Wade added 20 points in the victory.
Josh Smith, one of the most-discussed names as a possible trade chip prior to
Thursday's deadline, had 10 points, nine assists and nine boards for Atlanta,
which had won three of its last four tilts going into the break.
Al Horford netted 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting in defeat.
The Sports Network