Hawks Put Out the Heat

The Miami Heat fell to the Atlanta Hawks in State Farm Arena Monday afternoon 121-113.

The Heat’s win-streak ends at three, and the team now sits at 24-21 on the season. The Hawks’ win brings them back to .500 at 22-22. Miami remains 1st in the Southeast division and is currently holding on to the #7 seed in the Eastern conference.

Made it close at the end :/ pic.twitter.com/BPDjPCDfvg

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 16, 2023

Slow Start for the Road Team

The Heat fell down 38-24 at the end of the first quarter and were down 20 by halftime, 70-50. Miami was, however, able to finally get something going at the start of the second half, putting together a 16-6 run.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1615108599914860545

They outscored Atlanta 63-51 in the final 24 minutes, but the comeback attempt came too little, too late.

Game Notes

The loss snapped Miami’s three-game win streak, which included a one-point win over Oklahoma City and back-to-back wins against the Giannis-less Bucks.

Among the starters for the Heat, Jimmy Butler scored 34 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists, while Bam Adebayo put up 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists of his own.

The Hawks were lead by Dejounte Murray (28 pts, 7 assists, 4 rebounds) and Trae Young (24 pts, 8 assists, 3 rebounds).

The season series is now even at 1-1. Miami beat Atlanta in the first meeting between the two 106-98 back on Nov. 27.

Honoring MLK

There was a sold out crowd of 18,007 there to honor Atlanta native Martin Luther King Jr. Among those in attendance was former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, who worked alongside King during the Civil Rights movement in the ’50s and ’60s.

Special day to be playing in Atlanta. #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/zD94TFFla3

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 16, 2023

The Dream Center Church of Atlanta choir performed during the Hawks’ halftime tribute to King Jr.

“We need to make sure we continue to honor the day and continue to fight for his dream.” – Hawks head coach Nate McMillan

What’s Next

The Heat will look to get back in the win column in New Orleans Wednesday night, as they take on the Pelicans at 8.