Herro Leads Charge in Heat’s Win Against Hawks
The Miami Heat entered today’s game against the Atlanta Hawks following a big win over Golden State, only behind the Chicago Bulls by one game for the ninth spot in the Play-In Tournament. Tyler Herro delivered a big performance in the 122-112 victory, recording 36 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Trae Young countered with 29 points and 12 assists, but it wasn’t enough to slow down Herro and Miami. The win keeps the Heat firmly above Toronto for the 10th seed and right behind Chicago for the ninth seed.
Atlanta came out hot, jumping to a quick 12-2 lead that forced Erik Spoelstra to call an early timeout just three and a half minutes in. The timeout did little to slow the Hawks down, as they maintained a 10-point lead throughout the quarter, created by a hot start from Trae Young, who had 10 points and four assists in the first. Miami responded in the second with four straight threes to tie the game at 41 midway through the quarter. An Andrew Wiggins layup gave Miami their first lead, as they ended up outscoring Atlanta 38-23 in the quarter to head into the break up by five.
The Heat opened the second half with a 19-3 run, building on their strong finish to the first half. Tyler Herro was perfect in the third, scoring 10 points on four-for-four shooting with two assists, while Alec Burks added nine points on three made threes. Atlanta eventually found some rhythm, getting some stops to control the deficit at 13 by the end of the quarter. The Hawks opened the fourth quarter strong with Terance Mann, Trae Young, and Vit Krejci threes, trimming the lead to nine after a Young-and-one floater, but Miami talked it over, quickly regained control, and sealed the win behind another strong shooting quarter from Herro.
This win marks the Heat’s third straight victory, following a brutal 10-game losing streak recently ending it vs. the Hornets. Miami now looks like a team capable of securing one of the final Play-In spots and posing a threat to a top seed. They’ll face a struggling 76ers team on Saturday, which has dropped six straight and is without their big three of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid. Miami must capitalize on Philadelphia’s slump and maintain their momentum as the season winds down and playoff spots are getting secured.
