The Kaseya Center will not have brought happiness to the Miami Heat who took a nice slap in falling on an imperial Atlanta team. Quin Snyder’s men were able to start strong and then held on until the end thanks to a well-distributed threat to clinch their place in the playoffs!
The Hawks very quickly took the meeting by the good end by imposing their rhythm, relying on the talent and the versatility of the Murray-Young pair around which all the lieutenants of Atlanta quickly found their place, at the image of the sequence of Onyeka Okongwu, author of three baskets including an alley-oop and an assist for Bogdan Bogdanovic, or two 3-point baskets from Saddiq Bey in transition, including one on a pass in the back by Trae Young (29-43). Miami continued its descent to hell until -24 after a 10-1 (39-63), unable to hold this Atlanta team in defense and too clumsy on the other side of the field to hope to compete.
However, there was a revolt before the break, materialized by an 11-0, the work of a Kyle Lowry on a mission (50-65). We then believed in the awakening of the Floridians who resumed the second half with a bang via a 13-4 powered by Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Max Strus, in order to return to two possessions away (63-69).
Fans were starting to believe it again, but Atlanta didn’t let themselves be swayed and managed to get things going again, relying on the mastery of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray to recreate a gap. Jalen Johnson’s basket and Onyeka Okongwu’s dunk at the end of the third quarter announced the color (78-91).
The Hawks then held on until the end, dominating on both sides of the field, with dunks from Saddiq Bey, Clint Capela and even Bogdan Bogdanovic. Dejounte Murray also did what was necessary with a 3-point from the corner and two last baskets to guide his team to victory, 116-105, synonymous with qualifying for the playoffs!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Hawks’ display of aggression. Any team playing an away knife playoff game should take these Hawks as an example. Quin Snyder’s men arrived ready for the challenge and marked the match with their intensity and aggressiveness. The figure that perhaps best symbolizes Atlanta’s show of force: 22 offensive rebounds! In total, they accumulated 63 catches, where Miami took only 39 rebounds.
– The return of the villain. We found the Trae Young of his first series of playoffs against the Knicks, galvanized by the stakes of the match and the prospect of achieving a first upset by leaving Miami on his land. The Hawks point guard didn’t do everything perfectly but was the spearhead of his team who drew inspiration from his aggressiveness to march on the Floridians. The boiling context of the play-in also seems to please Trae Young and his teammates. In three play-in games played, the Hawks are currently at 3/3!
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Trae Young. A boss game with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. He guided his team with intensity and was decisive when the Hawks crushed the hosts in the first half to go up to 24 points.
✅ Dejounte Murray. He demonstrated that he could play with Trae Young in an important game, with his team’s season practically on the line, without the two stepping on each other’s toes. He too was aggressive and fairly fair in his choices. He also scored important baskets late in the game, such as his 3-point catch-and-shoot that forced Erik Spoelstra to stop play. The Heat did not recover from it behind.
✅ Kyle Lowry. What an exceptional game from the veteran! Already in the first half he had been the only one to float with 19 points in 15 minutes at 6/8 shooting. But the leader did not stop there and continued to line up the decisive shots, even if it was not enough to completely reverse the trend.
⛔ Jimmy Butler. The Heat star stepped forward to the media yesterday, announcing that he would continue to aim for the title even if it meant going through the play-in. Exceptional during the second half of Miami’s season, “Jimmy Buckets” missed out this time with a 6/19 in shooting which did not raise the general level.
⛔ Bam Adebayo. He suffered from the comparison with Clint Capela but also Onyeka Okongwu throughout the match. Too little impact for a player of his caliber, especially in 41 minutes spent on the pitch.
THE FOLLOWING
Miami : the Heat will receive the winner of the meeting between Toronto and Chicago to try to clinch the 8th and last qualifying place for the playoffs this Thursday.
Atlanta (38-38) : the Hawks have “earned” the right to face Boston in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 scheduled for this Saturday at TD Garden (9:30 p.m.).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
