MIAMI -- The Miami Heat were a trendy pick in the Southeast Division this season with one of the top starting lineups in the NBA finally coming together, but the Atlanta Hawks showed Tuesday night that prognosticators may want to put the brakes on knocking off the reigning No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference so quickly.

Behind a first-half surge and a defense that maintained the lead throughout, the Hawks bested the Heat, who missed guard Dwyane Wade for a large portion of the second half, 98-92 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Hawks (4-1) earned their seventh consecutive win over their Southeast Division foe.

All-Star guard Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 26 points and nine assists. The Hawks distributed the ball well, finishing with 25 assists.

"That's the way we play," Teague said. "That's the way we do it. We share the ball, and it is usually the recipe of success for us."

Forward-center Al Horford registered with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and forward Paul Millsap added 12 and 10.

Horford didn't buy too much into the notion that Atlanta needed to prove it was still the team to beat in its division early in the season.

"It's still very early," he said. "We're not too worried about it. For us, it's a matter of us getting better each game. It's still a very long season."

The Hawks held the Heat to 44.2 percent shooting, though that was the best a team shot against the swarming Atlanta defense this season. Miami (3-2) was worse on 3-pointers, going 5-for-28.

"I thought our activity and our hands were good," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We were flying around, so we can build on that defensively."

The Hawks forced 18 turnovers.

Atlanta shot 41.1 percent from the floor but was able to connect on seven 3-pointers and scored 17 points at the free-throw line.

Miami's shooting percentage was made to appear respectable thanks to center Hassan Whiteside, who led the Heat with an efficient 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting. Outside of Whiteside, Miami shot 36.4 percent.

"My teammates are finding me, and I'm just finishing it," Whiteside said. "So whenever they find me, I just try to make the best play I can make."

Whiteside also grabbed 14 rebounds.

Wade, who went into the locker room midway through the third quarter with migraine symptoms and returned with 4:12 remaining, finished with 21 points.

"It just came on," Wade said. "I went to the free-throw line and then with my migraines I get a little blurred vision, so with all the lights that is not ideal."

For the first time this season, the All-Star missed a free throw. He had converted his first 24 attempts.

Heat guard Goran Dragic scored 19 points, and forward Chris Bosh added nine points and 14 rebounds.

The Heat cut a 14-point lead after three quarters to 79-75 with a 10-0 run to start the fourth, but the Hawks were not rattled and closed it out defensively and hit their free throws.

"I think just going to the playoffs last year and getting through some tough moments helps develop that personality and mental toughness," said Kyle Korver, who had nine points and made one of his six 3-point attempts. "That is kind of the hope - that we stay together as a group as we go through tough games."

Teague was instrumental in maintaining the Hawks' first-half lead through the third quarter. He scored nine in the period.

The Heat bench was non-existent until late in the third quarter. The first field goal from a Miami non-starter came with 2:20 remaining in the period, but the bench provided the entire rally early in the fourth to pull the Heat back into the game.

A 16-2 run to start the second quarter put the Hawks ahead by double digits. Atlanta held Miami to 7-of-24 shooting from the field in the quarter and led 51-40 at halftime.

Forward Kent Bazemore led the Hawks early with eight points in the opening quarter, including a pair of corner 3-pointers. He finished with 10.

NOTES: G Mario Chalmers, who has played all eight of his NBA seasons with Miami, had his name circulate in trade rumors linking him to a potential deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Chalmers declined to comment pregame, but coach Erik Spoelstra said: "It's an endless amount of rumors all season long for every team. We address it very early in the season and just talk about what the NBA is like, what you can expect, how to deal with the storylines and how to continue to be a professional." ... Hawks F-C Al Horford attempted 18 3-pointers in the season's first four games, firing up five in three of them. He had never taken more than two in a game in previous eight seasons. Horford didn't try a 3-pointer Tuesday. ... Heat G Gerald Green and F-C Amar'e Stoudemire were inactive. ... Atlanta G Kyle Korver made his 600th 3-pointer as a Hawk.