By TIM REYNOLDS (AP Basketball Writer)
MIAMI (AP) — Quin Snyder’s baggage had been packed in February for an abroad journey. He was going to spend time with some family and friends, see some coaches he’s gotten to know over time.
Then the Atlanta Hawks known as with a job provide, to carry him on as coach.
And now Snyder’s baggage are packed once more — for the playoffs, beginning with a visit to Boston.
Trae Young scored 25 factors, Clint Capela grabbed 21 rebounds and the Hawks earned the No. 7 seed within the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Miami Heat 116-105 in a play-in event recreation Tuesday evening.
“Our guys are trying to be the best version of ourselves at the end of the year,” Snyder mentioned. “The year’s not over. So hopefully we can take this and continue to build on it. It’s one game — but it was our game.”
Dejounte Murray added 18 factors for the Hawks, who avenged a five-game Round 1 loss to Miami final season and earned an East first-round matchup with Boston that may begin Saturday.
Kyle Lowry scored 33 factors — his highest-scoring recreation in his two Miami seasons — for the Heat, who will host both Toronto or Chicago on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed and a spot towards high total seed Milwaukee in Round 1. The Raptors and Bulls play Wednesday; the winner of Friday’s recreation opens the collection towards the Bucks on Sunday.
Tyler Herro scored 26 for Miami, and Jimmy Butler completed with 21.
“Come Friday, we have to play the legit exact opposite of how we played tonight,” Butler mentioned.
For the Hawks, 4 reserves — Saddiq Bey, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson — mixed for 53 factors.
The Hawks improved to 3-0 all-time in play-in event video games; that’s the most effective mark within the league, one which New Orleans can match when it performs host to Oklahoma City on Wednesday evening.
And they earned this one on the boards. Atlanta outrebounded Miami 63-39, together with 22-6 on the offensive glass that keyed a 26-6 edge in second-chance factors.
“We all understand the moment and the time of year it is,” Young mentioned. “Credit our guys for being locked in, ready and focused on the game plan.”
The Hawks took two timeouts within the first 3:53 of the third quarter, as most of what was a 24-point lead with 2:37 left within the first half — 63-39 Atlanta was the margin — obtained whittled away, and quick.
Miami lower the margin to fifteen by halftime, then opened the third quarter on a 16-6 run. Add all of it up, and it was a 27-8 run in about 7 minutes of play to get the Heat inside 71-66.
But the Hawks had a solution then, and each different time the Heat made a run. The Atlanta lead was 13 once more going into the fourth, and when Miami was inside six halfway by means of the ultimate quarter, the Hawks scored 5 straight to revive a double-digit edge.
And now, a crew that was the East’s No. 1 seed final spring is one recreation from elimination.
“Nothing about this season has been easy,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned. “We’re going to do this the hard way.”
TIP-INS
Hawks: It was the second time this season that Atlanta took an enormous first-half lead and practically wasted all of it. The Hawks had been up 26 over Miami on Jan. 16, let the Heat get inside 4 within the closing moments and held on to win 121-113. … Capela had one 20-rebound recreation within the common season.
Heat: Lowry got here off the bench in a postseason recreation for the primary time since 2009. His final 94 appearances after the common season had been all begins. … The Heat went 1-6 this season towards Friday’s attainable win-or-go-home opponents — 0-3 towards Chicago and 1-3 towards Toronto.
LOOKING AHEAD
Boston went 3-0 towards Atlanta this season, and practically all of the rotation gamers from each groups missed a minimum of a kind of contests. Young averaged 31 factors and 11 assists in two video games towards the Celtics; Jayson Tatum averaged 26.5 factors, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in two video games towards the Hawks.
It’ll be the thirteenth collection between the Celtics and Hawks franchises, the primary since Atlanta’s six-game Round 1 win in 2016.
PLAY-IN HISTORY
Miami grew to become the sixteenth franchise to take part within the play-in event. Chicago, Toronto and Oklahoma City will stretch that listing out to 19 groups on Wednesday. That leaves solely Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah as golf equipment who’ve but to be a part of the play-in occasion.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Visit Boston for Game 1 of an East first-round collection Saturday.
Heat: Host both Toronto or Chicago in an elimination recreation Friday.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com