"Hawks coach Larry Drew insists there will come a time when center Al Horford is called for two fouls before halftime and Drew doesn't take him out of the game.

It hasn't happened yet, though. The latest example came during Atlanta's 89-77 loss at Miami Saturday, when Horford sat the final 6:28 of the second quarter after he picked up his second foul.

Horford ended up playing just 31 minutes and finished with 22 points and nine rebounds -- and only four fouls. It followed a familiar pattern: Horford, Atlanta's most consistent player, has a productive game despite fewer minutes because of two early fouls.

"I was OK with it," Horford said. "Obviously it's frustrating because you want to be out there but I understand Coach's philosophy behind it.""