The Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks faced off in a thrilling play-in game on Tuesday night, with a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs on the line. The Hawks, led by their new coach Quin Snyder, who took over the team last February, showed their resilience and determination as they defeated the Miami Heat to secure a 116-105 victory.
The Heat, who were the defending conference champions, struggled to contain the Hawks’ dynamic duo of Trae Young and Clint Capela. Young, who averaged 26.2 points and 10.2 assists per game in the regular season, scored 25 points and dished out 7 assists in the win. Capela, who is top 7 in rebounding with 11.0 per game, dominated the paint with 21 rebounds, two blocks and 4 points.
The Hawks also got contributions from their supporting cast, as Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14 points, John Collins added 10 points and four rebounds, and Dejounte Murray chipped in with 18 points, 6 assists and five rebounds. The Hawks shot 46% from the field and 24.4% from three-point range, while holding the Heat to 42.9% and 32.4%, respectively.
The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler, who had 21 points, four rebounds and 9 assists. Bam Adebayo contributed with 12 points and 9 rebounds, while Tyler Herro scored 26 points and two steals. The Heat were missing Victor Oladipo, who only played for just 9 mins and made just one assist.
Final Stats 📊
Trae: 25 PTS | 7 AST | 8 REB
DJ: 18 PTS | 6 AST | 5 REB
CC: 21 REB | 4 PTS | 2 BLK
Saddiq: 17 PTS | 6 REB
Bogi: 14 PTS | 2 AST | 2 REB | 2 STL
Onyeka: 12 PTS | 4 BLK | 4 REB | 3 AST
JC: 10 PTS | 4 REB | 2 AST
JJ: 10 PTS | 7 REB | 3 AST | 3 STL
Dre: 6 PTS | 6 REB pic.twitter.com/2SjWum5sYt— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 12, 2023
The Hawks will now face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, starting on Saturday. The Heat will face the loser between the Toronto and Chicago game this Thursday.