This wasn’t about model factors. This was about desirous to see Atlanta completely of their rearview mirror for the 2022 playoffs.
So within the absence of their flooring chief, the Miami Heat reverted to their defensive roots and opted for gritty as an alternative of fairly, in transferring to a 110-86 victory Sunday evening over the Hawks at State Farm Arena.
Up 3-1 within the best-of-seven opening-round Eastern Conference playoff sequence, the Heat have a possibility to shut it out Tuesday at 7 p.m. at FTX Arena, in any other case to return to Atlanta for a Thursday Game.
“We had to find a different way to win this game,” coach Erik Spoelstra stated. “A lot of it was our defensive toughness and versatility.”
With level guard Kyle Lowry sidelined by a hamstring pressure sustained in Friday evening’s Game 3 loss, the Heat went from flash to bash, in an effort targeted on the defensive finish and fueled by the tenacity of Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker.
Butler, who pounded his option to the foul line, led the Heat with 36 factors. Tucker, who original a breakthrough efficiency virtually solely constructed on soiled work, added 14 factors and eight rebounds.
There additionally had been 14 factors from Bam Adebayo, 12 from Max Strus and 11 from Gabe Vincent, who began instead of Lowry.
“Everybody else had to step up,” Tucker stated of enjoying within the absence of Lowry.
Beyond these numbers was an impressed contribution from Victor Oladipo, in his first playoff motion as a member of the Heat, totally in synch with the heart-and-hustle theme of the evening, closing with six factors, eight rebounds and 4 assists.
“He gave us some great, important minutes, inspiring minutes,” Spoelstra stated.
For the Hawks, Trae Young closed 3 of 11 from the sector for 9 factors, with Atlanta ending at 40 p.c from the sector.
The winner of this sequence meets the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers-Toronto Raptors sequence, which the 76ers lead 3-1.
“Everybody came in and played hard, tonight,” Tucker stated.
Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday’s sport:
1. Closing time: The Hawks led 26-25 on the finish of the opening interval, with the Heat then transferring to a 55-41 halftime lead, closing the second interval on a 26-4 run.
The Hawks moved again inside eight early within the third quarter, however the Heat put collectively a 17-7 run to take an 80-61 lead into the fourth.
Unlike Friday evening’s fourth-quarter collapse from 16 up, the Heat closed it out from there, accompanied by a refrain from a bit of the group of “Let’s Go Heat!”
It in the end left the Hawks with no solutions.
“They had a lot of pressure tonight,” Young stated. “Just brought the pressure and we just couldn’t match it, really didn’t make any shots and didn’t play well. And that was the result of it.”
2. Bully Butler ball: Butler stored the Heat float offensively within the first half whereas additionally serving to management the tempo along with his bruising strategy.
Of Butler’s 19 first-half factors, 13 got here within the second quarter.
He closed 12 of 21 from the sector, with 10 rebounds.
His 11 of 12 from the road allowed the Heat to higher dictate the tempo.
Later, within the third interval, Butler additionally drained a 3-pointer to assist quiet a Hawks rally.
“We’re all staying aggressive,” Butler stated.
He now could be averaging 30.5 factors within the playoffs.
And, no, he stated it has nothing to do with erasing the reminiscence of final yr’s playoff failure towards the Bucks.
“I don’t play the game to prove anything to anybody except myself and my guys,” he stated.
3. Ultimate pest: Tucker was at his pest-like finest from the outset, as much as 10 factors and eight rebounds by the intermission, together with drawing the fourth foul on John Collins with 1:54 left within the first half.
Tucker stated a part of his gasoline was the Hawks defending him with level guards in earlier video games.
And, sure, he let Spoelstra comprehend it going into the sport.
“He yelled at me,” Spoelstra stated, “I stated, ‘All right, sounds like a good idea.’ “
With Dewayne Dedmon known as for 2 early fouls, the Heat twice went with smaller-ball lineups within the first half that had Tucker at heart.
Tucker then moved again to heart with 8:29 left within the third interval, after Adebayo was known as for his fourth foul.
In that function, Tucker then was known as for a technical foul halfway by means of within the third interval after a verbal confrontation with Hawks backup heart Onyeka Okongwu.
“This is the playoffs,” Tucker stated. “This is what I live for.”
4. Oladipo time: With the Heat’s offense caught within the mud, Oladipo made his first look of the postseason, getting into with 7:53 left within the second interval, with the Heat down six.
His entrance put the Heat 10 deep, after Dedmon, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson beforehand entered off the bench.
The Heat went on a 15-0 run shortly thereafter.
It was Oladipo’s first playoff motion since his Indiana Pacers misplaced within the 2020 first spherical to the Heat.
Spoelstra stated Oladipo labored Saturday with the second staff, a touch of what we to observe.
“I was ready regardless,” Oladipo stated. “Nobody had to tell me anything.”
The Heat had been plus-20 in Oladipo’s eight first-half minutes.
“He stayed ready. He made it easier that it looks,” Spoelstra stated. “He gave us winning minutes.”
5. Cleaning up: The Heat performed the primary half and not using a turnover, the primary time they ever performed a postseason half with out one, outscoring the Hawks 9-0 on turnovers over the primary 24 minutes.
A cost by Adebayo with 41 seconds into the third quarter was the Heat’s first turnover. They closed with seven, all however two properly after the sport was determined.
“That was one of the most important things,” Spoelstra stated, “was really taking control of the possession game.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com