Beas In, Beas On, Heat Win

The Heat suspended the missing Rafer Alston after the game.

Dwyane Wade scored 38 points, and Michael Beasley capped an atypically big fourth quarter with seven consecutive points in the final two minutes, helping the short-handed Heat beat the Hawks 100-94 Saturday night.

Beasley, who's usually benched late in close games, scored 14 of his 22 points in the final period. His fourth quarter spurt gave the Heat a six-point lead while Atlanta failed to score on five consecutive possessions in the last three minutes.

What got into the Super Cool one?

"[Wade] punched me in the chest," Beasley said, "and he was yelling, 'I need you. No more feeling sorry for yourself.'"

Oh. Why didn't he think of that before?

"It's winning time, and we need Michael to be aggressive," Wade said. "I just felt as a leader I had to get in his face a little bit. I didn't mean to hit him in the chest. He came back and was the reason we won the game. I've very proud of him — probably the most proud I've been of him."

The accidental pugilist, for his part, made four 3-pointers, hit 14 of 18 free throws, and added 10 assists. Quentin Richardson sank five 3-pointers and contributed 22 points for Miami.

By halftime, the Heat were down three players. Rafer Alston wasn't at the arena for personal reasons and was later suspended, Dorell Wright sat out with a swollen left knee, and Jermaine O'Neal tweaked his left knee in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game.

Their absences failed to foil the unpredictable Heat who were coming off an overtime victory Thursday against the Lakers. They won their third game in a row, snapping the Hawks' four-game winning streak and ending the season series at 3-1.

NOTES: Wright is expected to return Tuesday at Charlotte. ... F Udonis Haslem played in his 500th game for Miami, second in franchise history to Alonzo Mourning's 593. ... No difference: The Heat are 12-13 with Alston starting at point guard, 9-7 with Carlos Arroyo and 11-11 with Mario Chalmers.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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