Hawks beat the Heat

The National staff

• Last Updated: November 19. 2009 8:17PM UAE / November 19. 2009 4:17PM GMT

The Hawks’ Joe Johnson points to the bench after a three-basket. Kevin Cox / Getty Images

Joe Johnson scored 30 points as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Miami Heat 105-90 to win their sixth successive game on Wednesday night.

The Eastern Conference leaders were always in command after a 28-8 run at the end of the first half, while Josh Smith finished the game with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

“We’re a tough team to beat when he’s playing like that,” Johnson said of Smith.

“When he’s rebounding, playing defence and diving down in the paint for dunks and lay ups, it makes the defence collapse. That’s leaving guys like me and Mike [Bibby] open for shots.”

Another six-game winning streak was halted, though, as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell 108-91 to the Washington Wizards.

“In general, our entire team – including LeBron [James] – brought the ball to a standstill, which allowed them to do whatever they did defensively,” said Mike Brown, the Cavaliers’ coach.

Antawn Jamison was the star for the Wizards, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on a season debut which had been delayed by a shoulder injury.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 41 points, including 11 in overtime, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 99-94.

“I hoped he was having an off night,” said Matt Bonner, one of several Spurs who tried to guard Nowitzki. “I can play perfect defence and jump as high as I can, and he can still score.”

Rashard Lewis, who was banned for the first 10 games of the season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Orlando Magic beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94.

Lewis, who needed just one more assist to complete a triple-double, was benched for the final quarter by the Magic’s coach, Stan Van Gundy.

“Maybe I should have put Rashard back in there, but I don’t think in terms of individual awards or accomplishments,” Van Gundy said.

The Philadelphia 76ers came from behind to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 86-84. Andre Iguodala scored 25 points but it was Lou Williams who won the game with a lay up with just 3.1 seconds remaining.

Rudy Gay scored 21 points, all in the second half, and Zach Randolph also had 21 as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-91, while the Utah Jazz overcame the Toronto Raptors 104-91.

The Boston Celtics won their first game in three with a 109-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors, while the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Detroit Pistons 87-81.

The New York Knicks got their first win in seven games, 110-103 against the Indiana Pacers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves lost their 11th in a row, falling 97-84 to the Houston Rockets.

But Minnesota are not the worst team in the NBA – the New Jersey Nets have lost all 12 games this season after going down 99-85 to the Milwaukee Bucks.

* With agencies