The Atlanta Hawks came up just short against the Miami Heat on Monday night, losing by a final score of 130-128. This was their second straight loss against the Heat, leaving them 2.5 games behind Miami for the 7-seed in the Eastern Conference and 4.5 games behind the 6th place Brooklyn Nets with just 18 games left to play in the regular season.
The Hawks got off to a scorching start, shooting 19-25 from the field and held a 43-30 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Heat managed to stop the bleeding in the second, however still trailed by 12 points with three minutes to go in the half, before a 9-2 run (led by Caleb Martin of all people) cut the Hawks lead to just 5 going into the break. Both teams’ offenses were flowing in the first half, with the Hawks shooting 63% from the field, and had 5 players in double-figures (none of whom were named Trae Young), while Miami shot 55% from the field, and notched assists on 16 of their 20 made field goals.
The two teams traded punches in what was a hard-fought 3rd quarter, and Atlanta was clinging onto a 96-92 lead heading into the final frame. Miami started the 4th quarter on a 9-4 run to reclaim the lead for the first time since the 9:06 mark in the 1st quarter, and did not look back – answering the call every time Atlanta tried to gain a bit of momentum – handing the Hawks their 33rd loss of the season when it was all said and done.
Three-point shooting and free-throw’s were two of the main problem areas for the Hawks tonight. Miami shot 16-29 from three-point range, and took 37 free-throw’s (a ridiculously high number), going 32-37 at the line. Meanwhile the Hawks shot just 9-29 from beyond the arc – going just 5-21 after the first quarter – and made 17 of their 23 free-throw attempts on the night. Miami’s success in these two areas allowed them to win the game despite the Hawks’ winning the points-in-the-paint battle, 70-42.
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray led the way for Atlanta tonight, with Young scoring 25 points and dishing out 7 assists and Murray adding 23 points and 8 dimes. John Collins and Saddiq Bey both scored 17 points, though Collins was a team-best +12 in 20 minutes played while Bey was a team-worst -16 in 32 minutes played. De’Andre Hunter added 14 points, but really struggled down the stretch (1/4 from the field in the 4th quarter, 2 turnovers). Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points each.
For Miami, Jimmy Butler put up a vintage 29 point, 9 rebound, 9 assist stat-line, shooting 8/14 from the field and 10/12 at the free-throw line. Victor Oladipo had a nice night, knocking down 4 threes on his way to a 22 point outing. Caleb Martin scored 16 points in the 2nd quarter alone, and finished with 21 points.
The Hawks next matchup is against the Washington Wizards tomorrow night, in another game that will be crucial for playoff seeding.
Tipoff is at 7pm on Bally Sports!
