Heat cool off

Hawks come on strong in fourth quarter

Joe Johnson poured in 21 points for Atlanta on Monday night as the Hawks ended the Miami Heat’s perfect start to the NBA season with a 100-92 victory at the American Airlines Arena.

Tracy McGrady’s two late three-pointers helped the visitors outscore their hosts 33-21 in the final quarter, ensuring LeBron James’ game-high 28-point haul was in vain.

Oklahoma City also tasted defeat for the first time this term, going down 100-87 against Dallas despite a 27-point contribution from Kevin Durant.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points for the Mavericks as the Thunder fell to 5-1.

Kevin Love starred for Minnesota with 24 points and 15 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ 106-96 win against San Antonio, the Spurs losing two-time All-Star Manu Ginobili to a broken left hand in the second quarter.

The Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak with a convincing 90-85 triumph over theNew York Knicks.

Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points apiece for the victors, with Carmelo Anthony’s 35 points and 11 rebounds not enough for the Knicks.

Paul Pierce’s 21 points and eight rebounds lifted the Boston Celtics to a 100-92 victory over theWashington Wizards, while Steve Nash also had 21 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 102-91 win against the Golden State Warriors.

Detroit continued their recovery after losing their first three games of the season, Ben Gordon’s 26 points leading the Pistons to an 89-78 victory over the Orlando Magic.

The New Jersey Nets suffered their fifth straight loss with a 108-94 defeat against the Indiana Pacers, while the Denver Nuggets edged the Milwaukee Bucks 91-86 and the Utah Jazz squeezed past theNew Orleans Hornets 94-90.