NBA Roundup : Atlanta Falls Flat and Gets Flattened by Heat, 124-115

Just when it appeared the Atlanta Hawks were about to turn it on, they flattened out against a team they should handle easily.

They had won three in a row, including a win over powerful Cleveland Friday night, when they went into Miami Sunday night to play the pitiful Heat.

The Heat were hot, the Hawks cold and a virtually unknown rookie, Grant Long, destroyed them. The 6-foot-8 former Eastern Michigan forward had 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Heat scored a 124-115 victory.

The Heat built a 20-point lead several times before Dominique Wilkins and Glenn Rivers led an Atlanta rally that cut the lead to 113-109 with four minutes left. In the next two minutes, another rookie, Ron Seikaly scored five points to put the game out of reach.

Although the Heat’s record is only 7-42, this is a night the fans may remember for awhile. They didn’t just beat a quality team, they set club records for points, topping the old record by six, a quarter high (38) and a record for a half (72). They have won two in a row to tie another record.

The Hawks, in a letdown following the win over the Cavaliers--the team with the best record in the NBA--shot only 43% from the field against Miami--the team with the worst record.

Long made 10-of-14 shots, while two other rookies had big games. Kevin Edwards had 21 points and seven rebounds, while Seikaly scored 14 points in 22 minutes.

The Heat tries for a record three in a row tonight at New Jersey.

Chicago 108, Milwaukee 106--It doesn’t make any difference whether Michael Jordan scores 50 points or 23, the Bulls seem able to handle the Bucks.

Jordan scored 50, including a 20-foot jumper in the final second Thursday at Chicago to give the Bulls a 117-116 victory.

In this one at Milwaukee, Jordan scored eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help the Bulls beat the Bucks for the fourth time this season. The Bulls have won six in a row at Milwaukee.

Jordan’s passing, not his shooting did in the Bucks in this one. He had nine assists, two of them on scores by Brad Sellers, who had six points in the final 2:40 to thwart Bucks’ hopes of a victory.

“I don’t know why we can beat the Bucks,” Bulls’ Coach Doug Collins said. “We can’t beat Detroit, and the Bucks beat the stuffings out of them. Matchups are so important in this game.”