Bam Adebayo showcased his prowess with 26 factors and 17 rebounds, whereas rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed a career-high 20 factors because the Miami Warmth, enjoying with out key gamers, secured a 117-109 victory towards the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night time.
This win marked the Warmth’s fourth consecutive triumph.
Miami took the court docket with out their main scorer, Tyler Herro, who suffered a proper ankle sprain of their earlier recreation towards Memphis and is predicted to be sidelined for at the least two weeks. Moreover, Jimmy Butler was absent for private causes.
Coach Erik Spoelstra, in a pregame assembly, obtained a robust indication from the gamers that they have been able to step up and fill the void left by Herro and Butler. Spoelstra commented, “Everybody was leaning ahead with the physique language saying… ‘we have been going to must have some guys step up.’”
Depth proved to be a big asset
The Warmth’s depth proved to be a big asset as they discovered scoring contributions from numerous sources. Kyle Lowry added 17 factors, and Josh Richardson scored 16, marking a season excessive for him. Duncan Robinson contributed 11 factors in his first begin of the season, and Kevin Love chipped in with seven factors. Jaquez, making his third begin, almost doubled his earlier excessive of 11 factors, emphasizing his function in making performs.
The emergence of a number of scorers didn’t come as a shock to Spoelstra, who acknowledged earlier than the sport that he had a number of gamers able to seize extra minutes.
On the opposing aspect, Trae Younger led the Atlanta Hawks with 27 factors and 11 assists, with 14 of these factors coming within the fourth quarter. Dejounte Murray added 23 factors. Each guards tried 9 3-pointers, however Atlanta struggled with its long-range capturing, making simply 18 of 46 makes an attempt.
Concerning the Hawks’ capturing woes, Coach Quin Snyder expressed dissatisfaction, saying, “We had some beauty that we didn’t take.” Younger echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the necessity for confidence in capturing.
Younger additionally praised Miami’s protection, stating that it forces opponents to rethink their driving lanes and go for outdoors photographs. He added, “Should you’re not able to shoot 3s towards this crew, you’re going to have a troublesome night time.”
Robust defensive problem
Miami held a 21-point lead late within the first half, and Atlanta’s final lead was a mere 5-4.
The Hawks, who had been averaging 121.8 factors per recreation, the third-best within the league, confronted a troublesome defensive problem. This season marked their finest offensive begin for the reason that 1960-61 season when the franchise was generally known as the St. Louis Hawks.
In an fascinating word, Hawks guard Wesley Matthews returned to motion, sinking two 3-pointers within the third quarter and contributing seven factors in his season debut. Matthews’ father, Wesley Matthews Sr., had beforehand performed a mixed 152 video games for the Atlanta Hawks within the Nineteen Eighties and 1990.
The sport additionally featured the debut of the Hawks’ fly metropolis version uniform, which integrated the blue accent harking back to their 1968 Atlanta uniform.
