Bam Adebayo scored 24 points and added nine rebounds, and the Miami Heat used a dominant first half to beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 on Wednesday at State Farm Arena. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points and 18 rebounds for Miami, which snapped a three-game skid to open its season series against the Hawks 1-0.
Miami built its win in the second quarter, outscoring Atlanta 35-31 to take a 69-50 lead into the half. The Heat led by as many as 18 points, shot 53% from the field and outrebounded Atlanta 52-40. Kingston Flemings paced the Hawks with 23 points, and Jalen Johnson posted 12 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists in the loss.
Key Moments: How Miami Pulled Away
The Heat never trailed by more than a handful of points in a back-and-forth opening quarter that saw six lead changes. Bobby Portis and Bam Adebayo kept pace with Atlanta’s perimeter shooting, and a 34-22 Miami edge after one quarter set the tone.
Miami turned the game in the second quarter. Bobby Portis hit a 25-foot three-pointer to make it 47-40, and Tim Hardaway Jr. followed with a running dunk off a Giannis Antetokounmpo assist to push the lead to 49-40 with 7:03 left in the half. The Heat carried that cushion into the break at 69-50 and controlled the final two quarters, never letting Atlanta’s deficit shrink below double digits for long.
Miami’s size advantage showed up in the paint, where the Heat outscored the Hawks 70-52. Miami also won the fast-break battle 21-13 and forced 15 turnovers that led to 13 points.
Top Performers
Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds, adding three assists, two steals and a block in 31 minutes. Adebayo went 8 of 16 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line for his 24 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds and dishing three assists. Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4 of 7 from three-point range.
Davion Mitchell ran the offense with 10 assists and 10 points, and Bobby Portis added 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
For Atlanta, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting with five made three-pointers. Jalen Johnson finished with a near triple-double of 12 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists but struggled defensively, finishing a team-worst minus-23. CJ McCollum added 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
What It Means
The win lifts Miami to 1-4 on the season, while Atlanta falls to 2-3. In the Southeast Division standings, the Hawks sit one game back of Charlotte, and the Heat remain at the bottom of the group at 2 games back. Atlanta has now dropped three straight games, while Miami has won its last game after an 0-4 start.
Miami’s offensive balance stood out in the box score. The Heat shot 53% from the field compared to Atlanta’s 48%, and outrebounded the Hawks 52-40, including a 12-9 edge on the offensive glass. Atlanta out-shot Miami from three-point range, 42% to 38%, but the volume and efficiency gap inside the arc decided the game.
What’s Next
Miami leads the season series 1-0.s next opponent was included in the official data released after Wednesday’s game. The Heat’s next matchup will follow their current form after snapping a four-game losing streak, while the Hawks look to stop a three-game slide following their third straight loss.
For more on Miami’s roster this season, see Erik Spoelstra’s comments on the Heat’s new-look roster. Miami also recently dropped a close game detailed in Hornets beat Heat 115-110 behind Brandon Miller’s 34 points. Ahead of Wednesday’s matchup, Total Apex Sports previewed the game in Heat vs Hawks preview: Miami seeks first win in Atlanta.
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