The Miami Heat and Hawks both are coming off consecutive victories when they meet for the first of four times this season on Saturday in Atlanta.
The Heat recorded an 89-88 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday, while the Hawks scored 50 points in the final quarter for a 141-133 come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Both teams emerged victorious on Thursday despite digging deep holes. Miami trailed 14-0 to start its game, while Atlanta was behind by 21 late in the third quarter.
“That’s why you have to develop grit,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You have to develop mental toughness, and it has to be collective toughness. Hopefully that’s a lesson, not only for the young guys but for the team in general that the ultimate deal is just find a way to win — and sometimes that gets lost.”
Atlanta’s Trae Young said, “That just shows the resilience we have on our team and how we’re not going to quit and continue to fight. This shows how good our team is when we play the right way.”
The Heat won three of the four meetings against the Hawks last season and swept both games in Atlanta.
Miami’s Tyler Herro has been a consistent thorn for Atlanta. Herro is averaging a career-high 23.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season. He is averaging 18.0 points in 16 career games against the Hawks, and in three appearances against the Hawks last season, he scored 30, 25 and 33 points.
Herro hit the go-ahead jumper with 0.5 seconds left to beat the Magic on Thursday.
“That just shows how mentally tough he is,” Spoelstra said. “(Orlando) really game-planned to wear on him and get him out of his comfort stuff and you have to give them credit for that. But the shot making was important.”
Miami’s Bam Adebayo has been another difficult matchup for Atlanta. Adebayo averages 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in 23 career games against the Hawks. Adebayo will be facing an Atlanta team that’s short on depth since primary backup Onyeka Okongwu has missed the last four games with left knee soreness and will not play on Saturday.
Young, who surpassed 11,000 career points on Thursday, leads the team in scoring (22.0 points) and is No. 1 in the NBA with 12.1 assists. In 19 career games against the Heat, Young is averaging 22.2 points and 8.7 assists. He missed two of the four contests with Miami last season because of injury but scored 27 and 30 in the games he played.
De’Andre Hunter averages 20.3 points and Jalen Johnson contributes 19.8 points and 10.3 rebounds for Atlanta.
In addition to Okongwu, the Hawks have played the last two games without key reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic (left lower leg contusion). Miami is without Pelle Larsson (right ankle sprain) and Jimmy Butler’s status is uncertain after he missed the last two games with a stomach illness.
This will be the final contest of Atlanta’s four-game homestand before the Hawks begin a six-game road trip through the Western Conference.
–Field Level Media
