HEAT (5-3) at HAWKS (4-3), 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports
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LINE: Hawks by 4. Opened at Hawks by 3, but then dropped before to Hawks by 2 before Dwyane Wade ruled himself out for the game.
OFFICIALS: Tom Washington, David Jones, JT Orr
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OF NOTE: Wade announced he would miss the game after Friday morning's shootaround at Georgia Tech. Wade said he injured his left hamstring at the beginning of the Heat's loss to the Pacers on Wednesday. Wade could be out a while as a precaution. He missed nine games at the end of the 2013-14 season due to a sore hamstring.
WHY WATCH: The Hawks have won three in a row while the Heat is trying to boucne back from its 75-point performance against the No Name Pacers on Wednesday. Both the Heat and Hawks now feature similar offensive styles predicated on ball movement and Friday night's matchup will be the first of four meetings between the two division opponents this season.
SPO-SPEAK: “It’s not always going to work out smoothly, ball moving, everyone in great rhythm like it was in Dallas. There are games you’re going to have to develop some team and collective grit and figure out how to win. And those can be very gratifying at the end, particularly when you don’t play great.”
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LINEUP SPECULATION: With Wade out of the lineup, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is faced with his first major lineup decision of the regular season. He could go a number of ways, including starting Shannon Brown, Mario Chalmers or even rookie Jame Ennis at shooting guard. Another possibility could be Norris Cole coming off the bench and Chalmers starting alongside Shabazz Napier. That seems unlikely, but Napier will likely get more minutes one way or another over the next week or so.
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