A couple of probable Eastern Conference-Play-in teams will be square on Thursday, when Miami Heat hosts Atlanta Hawks.
The seventh place’s hawks (35-37) have a four-game lead over 10th place heat (31-41), while No. 8 Orlando sits a half-game behind Atlanta and No. 9 Chicago sits a game in front of Miami.
Atlanta dropped the ground on Tuesday, when the hawks fell in Houston to the rockets, 121-114, and Orlando took up a seven-point victory over Charlotte Hornets and Miami topped the Golden State Warriors, 112-86.
Hawks dragged with as many as 25 points late in the third quarter Tuesday before seeing their winning line with three matches ended. Atlanta’s rally reduced the deficit to four during the last quarter and showed a fight it hopes will transfer until Thursday.
“We were there,” said Hawk’s head coach Quin Snyder. “(Houston) had to play to settle down in the route. I thought we found a real rhythm, which was good for us tonight and will be good for us in the future.”
In defeat, Trae Young ended with 19 points and 12 assists, marked his third straight double double and increased his league-leading assists is counted to 11.4 per match. Young, who joins Atlanta with 24.1 points per match, became the first player in the NBA to reach 1,500 points and 750 assists in a single season since Russell Westbrook 2019.
On the other side of the ball, Atlanta’s sprouting star Dyson Daniels continues to put franchise and league brands, defensively. Daniels leads the league with 3.1 steal per match, an overwhelming edge in second place Kris Dunn’s 1.8. With his four thefts on Tuesday, Daniels is about to become the first player since Alvin Robertson 1990-91 to an average of three steals per match during one season.
After losing 10 straight match-heat’s longest ski since 2007-08, Miami comes into game winners in two in a row when it hopes to get a late season run to the playoffs. Tuesday marked the return to Miami for former dissatisfied star Jimmy Butler, but the night belonged to the heat, which allowed a season-low 86 points.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo’s 27 points were paired with suffocating defense on the smaller butler, who came as no surprise to head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“It’s not even something we did just for this game,” Spoelstra said about the matchup. “Over the past six weeks, BAM has been guarding anyone the best wing is, and he has taken on this challenge. It is a new defensive chapter in his skill, but we have not won so no one notices. But it is about his commitment to make much of the tough things.”
Tyler Herro has received 20 points or more in four out of five matches and leads Miami with 23.4 ppg. Andrew Wiggins comes with 20.2 ppg, while Adebayo chips in 17.6 points and 9.7 returns per competition.
Atlanta has taken two out of three against Miami this season and will look to pass its first season series over the heat since the 2020-21 campaign.
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