Miami Heat Defeat Atlanta Hawks 110-86
Summary
How many times have you heard me say it? One step forward, two steps back – it’s been the story of the season. All signs pointed towards a Hawks victory tonight. They were riding the momentum of a Game Three comeback, State Farm Arena sold out, Clint Capela was back, and Kyle Lowry was out. What ensued was one of the worst games of the season.
Hats off the Heat, who took the game 110-86 and now lead the series 3-1. They dominated the paint, made free throws, and limited turnovers (6). Jimmy Butler led the way with 36 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat trailed by one point going into the second quarter and never looked back.
Conversely, the Hawks failed to execute at almost every level. Trae Young struggled offensively. The prolific point guard shot 3-11 from the field (only one shot attempted from inside the arc) and finished with just 9 points.
It’s the second time this series he’s been held to single-digit points. During the regular season, Young had just one single-digit point performance. The Heat have made Young the focal point of their defense all series long and it’s worked in half of the games.
But tonight’s struggles go beyond Young. There’s plenty of blame to go around – players, coaches, on down the line. Losing tonight would have been bad, but getting blown out is unacceptable.
Post-Game Interviews
Hawks head coach Nate McMillan praised the Heat defense. “They were solid all night long. Basically kept us on the perimeter and really wasn’t able to get into the paint. Only 26 points in the paint. I thought we settled a lot early in the first half.”
McMillan continued, “Basically, with them playing small ball, they were able to get even more pressure out there on the floor. Tonight, [Gabe] Vincent basically picked Trae [Young] up the entire night. They kept pressure on the ball and tried to force the ball out of Trae’s hand.”‘
Trae Young sat at the podium wearing a leopard print hoodie and sardonic grin. Young said, “They brought the pressure, and we just couldn’t match it. Really didn’t make any shots and didn’t play well. That was the result of it.”
When asked about his lack of shots at the rim, Young said, “If you watching the game, you see that they have five people in the paint when I have the ball. So, I mean they’re doing a great job of showing help and not letting me get to the paint. When I’m driving, if I try to drive by somebody, they’re sitting in the double and forcing me to kick it to my teammates.”
Young continued, “I took 11 shots and probably took a couple forced ones at the end. I really didn’t get too many clean ones. You got to give them credit, and we have to do a better job of figuring out how to get some more open looks and get them off me early, so I can create not only for myself but my teammates too.”
Game Five is in Miami on Tuesday night. This could easily be the final game of the campaign for the Hawks. As always, we will keep you updated with breaking news, highlights, and analysis on Sports Illustrated’s AllHawks.com.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
De’Ander Hunter – 24 PTS (9-13 FG)
Kevin Knox II – 12 PTS (4-6 FG)
John Collins – 11 PTS, 2 REB
Heat Leaders
Jimmy Butler – 36 PTS, 10 REB
PJ Tucker – 14 PTS, 8 REB
Bam Adebayo – 14 PTS, 8 REB
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