The Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 130-128 on Monday night, with Jimmy Butler scoring 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
The win marks Miami’s second straight victory over Atlanta, with Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin contributing 22 and 21 points respectively off the bench.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 25 points and seven assists, while Dejounte Murray added 23 points and eight assists. Despite efforts from John Collins and reserve Saddiq Bey, who both scored 17 points, the Hawks couldn’t recover from a 15-point lead blown in the first half.
Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter and Murray scored 3-pointers in the final 4.4 seconds, but the Heat held on for the win. The Hawks’ streak of scoring 100 or more points in 40 consecutive games is the second-longest active streak in the NBA.
Miami won the season series against Atlanta 3-1 and also got 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists from Bam Adebayo. However, the Heat played without Kevin Love, who has a rib injury, and starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who has been out of play since February due to a knee ailment.
Both teams had a strong shooting performance in the first quarter, with the Hawks leading 43-30 at the end of the frame. In the second quarter, Martin scored 16 points alone, helping the Heat cut the deficit to 68-63 entering halftime.
In the third quarter, Miami tied the game twice but couldn’t take the lead, and the Hawks entered the fourth with a 96-92 advantage. Adebayo made two free throws with 9:38 left in the fourth, giving Miami its first lead since 11-10. The Heat held on from there, finishing the game with 53.2 percent shooting from the floor and 55.2 percent from beyond the arc. Atlanta shot 55.4 percent from the floor, including 31 percent from deep.
