ATLANTA, April 13 (UPI) -- Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade returned from sitting out nine games due to injury Saturday night and scored 24 points in the team's 98-85 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Wade sat out for about three weeks with a strained left hamstring.
With the win, the Hawks secured the eighth playoff seed in the East. The Heat fell back to a tie with the Indiana Pacers, with two games remaining in the regular season.
Despite the loss, the team seemed relieved to have Wade back out on the court.“We didn’t have rhythm our first year together, and we went to the Finals,” Wade said Saturday. “That’s not really a big worry of mine. The best rhythm for us is [having] all of us out there together on the floor, giving ourselves an opportunity every night ... to be a very, very good team. I just wanted to be back on the floor with them. That there, the rhythm, it will take care of itself.”
“That was the best part about tonight; we were able to get him out on the floor, get him into a good rhythm,” said Lebron James, who had 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. “Me personally, the first play of the game, I had a break versus Kyle Korver. I usually go for that. But knowing [Wade] has been out for a while, trying to get him his rhythm, I was able to dump it off to him. The best thing you can get coming off an injury is a layup or a dunk. To come out of this without a setback is the best part.”
[ESPN]
