May 5, 2024
MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler had 26 points, Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin each scored 21 off the Miami bench and the Heat held off the Atlanta Hawks 130-128 on Monday night.
Butler also had nine rebounds and nine assists for Miami, which swept a two-game set from the Hawks. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson each had 14, and the Heat set a season high with 58 bench points.
Trae Young scored 25 for Atlanta, which got 23 from Dejounte Murray and 17 apiece from Saddiq Bey and John Collins.
Miami (35-31) moved 2 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the race for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference, and took the season series 3-1 — so the Heat would hold the tiebreaker over the Hawks as well. The Heat rallied to win from 15 or more points down for the fourth time this season, and improved to 14-8 in games decided by three points or less.
The Heat led for 1:07 in the very early going, but Atlanta had control by the end of the opening quarter. The Hawks shot 76% (19 for 25) in the first 12 minutes, led by as many as 15 and took a 43-30 edge into the second. It was the most points allowed by Miami in any quarter this season.
Atlanta kept the lead until the fourth, with the Heat chipping away. Martin had 16 points in the second quarter off the bench to help Miami get within 68-63 at halftime, and the Hawks’ lead was 96-92 entering the fourth.
A pair of free throws by Adebayo gave Miami the lead for the first time since those opening moments with 9:38 left, the start of five lead changes in a four-minute span.
De'Andre Hunter scored 14, while Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic each had 12 for Atlanta.
