With 25 points from Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Miami Heat 116-105 on Tuesday to secure their spot in the NBA playoffs.
The Atlanta bench scored 53 points to help the Hawks beat the Miami Heat and advance to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
As a result, the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot will be decided between Miami and the winner of Wednesday’s game between Toronto and Chicago.
According to Young, “We brought the physicality to them” was the key to their victory. They have a reputation for being a rough and tumble squad that makes it their mission to intimidate opponents.
And if your athletic prowess isn’t up to par, you’re in trouble. Tonight, I believe our physical strength was equal to theirs.
Here’s the highlights of Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat
With Young at the helm, Atlanta’s offense clicked on all cylinders, resulting in seven Hawks scorers in double digits.
Saddiq Bey scored 17 points, while Dejounte Murray scored 18.
After a strong first half, Atlanta seized control of the game, running over a listless Miami team on both sides of the floor and opening up a comfortable double-digit lead.
The Hawks opened up a nine-point advantage at the conclusion of the opening quarter, 36-27, and extended it to 24 points by halftime, 63-39.
A late 11-0 run by Miami to end the half, with Kyle Lowry scoring 19 points, kept the score reasonable, but Atlanta still went into the break with a commanding 65-50 lead.
Young had 13 points and six assists to lead Atlanta in the first half, with one of his passes setting up a three-pointer by Bey in the second quarter.
For Atlanta, Clint Capela had a great defensive game as well, preventing Miami from scoring with two first-half blocks and grabbing 21 rebounds.
After a slow start to the second half, Miami went on a 13-4 run that had them within five points at one point in the third quarter.
Yet every time it mattered most, Atlanta would step up their game and seal the deal. If you’d like to take some spicy while watching you should read this first how to bet on NBA.
