Dwyane Wade carries Heat to Game 6 win

MIAMI (AP) — When the Miami Heat needed him most, Dwyane Wade was at his best.

Wade scored 41 points, Michael Beasley busted out of a slump with 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Heat stayed alive by routing the Hawks 98-72 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Friday night.

So a wild back-and-forth series — three routs for the Hawks, three routs for the Heat — will be decided Sunday in Atlanta in Game 7.

Mike Bibby scored all 20 of his points in the first half for Atlanta, which fell behind by 15 in the opening quarter, cut the deficit to nine by halftime, but never really challenged from there. Flip Murray and Joe Johnson added 13 apiece for the Hawks, who lost a first-round Game 7 last season against Boston.

James Jones scored 11 points for Miami, nine of them in the first quarter. Just like every other game in this series, the team that took control early kept it throughout, and Miami wasted no time in putting Atlanta on its heels.

Beasley finished 11-for-25 from the floor.

The Heat needed someone to step up. Udonis Haslem only played 11 minutes, saddled by foul trouble, and Jermaine O’Neal didn’t play at all, thanks to a concussion.