ATLANTA, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Daequan Cook touched off a late surge with eight straight points Wednesday and led Miami to a surprising 94-76 win over Atlanta.
The Heat had halted a five-game losing streak Tuesday and backed that up with a victory over a team that had lost at home only five times this season.
Cook broke a 71-71 tie by hitting a 3-pointer with 8:34 to go and quickly followed with another 3-pointer and a jumper that boosted the lead to eight. Miami outscored Atlanta down the stretch 23-5.
Until the late-game domination, neither side had led by more than six points.
Jermaine O'Neal led the Heat with 19 points. Dwyane Wade had 18 and Cook contributed 17, helping move Miami back within a game of the .500 mark.
Atlanta, which had won its previous three games, got 18 from Josh Smith and 16 from Joe Johnson.
