The Miami Heat have improved to 27-30 on the season after winning a blowout over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 131-109. The Heat are now a full game ahead of the Hawks and sit at eighth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Heat are also just a half-game behind the Orlando Magic for seventh place in the East.
The Miami Heat made 23 three-pointers, shooting 54.8% from behind the three-point line and 59.2% from the field.
Both Erik Spoelstra and Quin Snyder spoke pregame about how important this final stretch is for both of their respective teams. If the playoffs started today, both would be in the Play-In Tournament: a position both organizations have been in the past few seasons. Both teams would like to avoid the Play-In.
Coach Spoelstra spoke on how he feels that the addition of the Play-In Tournament has ultimately made the NBA more competitive:
“It seems that in both conferences it’s a dog fight. You have all of these things, and with the Play-In and everything it’s been good for the league. A lot more teams are competing and dealing with a similar reality. You get a win, you feel like you’re on top of the world. You lose, it feels like the whole world is crashing down. I think as a competitor that’s where you want to be. You want to have those kind of consequences.”
Tyler Herro led the way for the Miami Heat with 24 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Herro knocked down 4-for-8 from the three-point line. He shot 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Herro also grabbed two rebounds, dished out 10 assists, and recorded three steals.
Davion Mitchell scored 20 points, fueled by going 7-of-8 from the field. Mitchell also dished out six assists and recorded two steals. It was his most points and assists since being traded to Miami at the trade deadline.
More Heat Contributions
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- Bam Adebayo scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked a shot.
- Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points, grabbed two rebounds, dished out six assists, and recorded two steals.
- Duncan Robinson scored 24 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out six assists.
- Haywood Highsmith scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, recorded a steal, and blocked a shot.
The Heat celebrated Black Excellence Night as well. The Heat put on a celebration that highlighted strides that different African-Americans have made throughout history. The fraternities and sororities of the “Divine Nine” put on a show-stopping performance at halftime. Each fraternity and sorority performed their respective step routines. At the end of the performance, all of them joined together to step. The crowd loved this performance. The Heat also highlighted African-American members of the Heat organization who make a huge impact. The Heat continue to be an active team who position themselves against social injustice and advocacy. This Black Excellence celebration was yet another example of their dedication to social change and equality.
The Miami Heat face the Indiana Pacers next in Miami on Friday, 2/27. Tip-off from the Kaseya Center is at 8 p.m. Eastern.
