The Miami Heat survived a Hawks’ second-half push to win 117-109 in FTX Arena on Saturday night. After a gut-wrenching loss on Friday to the New York Knicks, Atlanta knew the Heat would bring intensity right from tip-off. Miami opened up with a 14-5 run, as Jimmy Butler’s aggressive drives to the paint collapsed Atlanta’s defense. On the offensive end, the Hawks struggled to get quality looks, but when they did, Atlanta could not convert. The Hawks did not score for four minutes between the 10 and six-minute marks in the opening frame. However, Atlanta kept Miami within reach, forcing the Heat into eight turnovers. The Hawks struggled to the tune of 42.9% shooting from the field, but Miami was not much better at 45.5%. The Heat entered the second quarter with a 29-26 lead on the back of winning the battle on the glass 15-7.
Heat All-Star, Bam Adebayo, came into the second frame in attack mode, scoring eight early points to put Miami up 35-26. Jalen Johnson and Saddiq Bey provided strong sparks off the bench all night, knocking down two three’s to keep Atlanta close. However, after an Adebayo and-one and a Jimmy Butler three-pointer, the Heat stretched their lead out to 49-36. The Hawks needed to tighten up their perimeter defense, as Butler’s shot from downtown made it seven three’s for Miami. Veteran center, Cody Zeller, blitzed Atlanta for 13 points in nine minutes on 100% shooting, as the Hawks found themselves down 46-62. The Heat entered halftime with a 64-49 lead, scoring a whopping 30 points in the paint. Adebayo led Miami with 15 points. Clint Capela was the only bright spot at halftime for Atlanta with 12 points and six rebounds. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray painfully struggled, shooting a combined 3-11 for 3 and 4 points, respectively.
Coming out of the locker room after halftime, the Hawks still struggled to knock down shots. Young missed two wide-open looks from beyond the arc on the same possession mid-way through the third frame, which summed up Atlanta’s offensive performance until this point. However, the Hawks put together a 16-7 run to conclude the quarter to cut Miami’s lead to 87-73. Atlanta held the Heat to just 21 points in the third frame, giving themselves an opportunity for a fourth quarter comeback-victory.
The Hawks’ strong end to the third continued into the final quarter, extending their run to 23-9. Bey, who had ten points entering the fourth, and De’Andre Hunter led the charge. Bey scored 12 points in the quarter, and Hunter hit three consecutive mid-range jumpers to shrink Miami’s lead to 106-101 with 4:39 remaining. However, Adebayo was in attack mode all night, and Atlanta failed to stop his aggressive drives off the pick-and-roll down the stretch. With the Hawks down 103-110 with 3:52 left, they had one more opportunity to put together a strong run. However, Atlanta’s offense never got the necessary shots to fall, ultimately coming up short in its comeback attempt.
Young and Murray shot a combined 4-26 from the field to finish with 8 and 10 points, respectively. This marked Young’s lowest-scoring game since January 6, 2021, when he scored eight points against the Charlotte Hornets. Bey continues to shoot lights out, and he led the Hawks with 22 points, including four three’s. Capela finished with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Hunter caught fire in the second half to finish with 17 points. Onyeka Okongwu had a strong 15 points off the bench, and Bogdan Bogdanovic totaled 13 points on an efficient 3-5 from beyond the arc.
For Miami, Adebayo hurt the Hawks all night, finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, shooting 10-12 from the charity stripe. Jimmy Butler filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, 11 boards, seven assists and two steals, and Caleb Martin added 15 off Miami’s bench. Tyler Herro scored 20 points but shot 8-21 from the floor.
The Hawks need to bounce back from this defeat. Simply put, Murray and Young must perform better. A win on Monday against the Heat still puts Atlanta in a prime position to move up in the standings if they take care of business against the Wizards later next week.
