Atlanta Hawks Beat Miami Heat 111-110

The series is now 2-1 Miami.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Summary

What a night in Atlanta. The festivities got off to an inauspicious start when a suspicious package was found outside of the arena. Luckily the package was not explosive and was removed thanks to the Atlanta Police Department, K-9 Unit, and bomb squad safely.

After a lengthy delay, the crowd was rocking, and the Hawks were feeding off the fans' energy. However, a disastrous third quarter almost cost the Hawks the game and season. 

The Heat outscored the Hawks 31-15 in the third quarter. They were led by sixth man Tyler Herro who provided 24 points. Jimmy Butler provided 20 points but wasn't nearly as scorching hot as he was in Game Two.

Somehow, the Hawks weathered the 21-point run by the Heat. Despite being down by 16 points, the Hawks chipped away at the lead throughout most of the second half. Delon Wright provided a huge veteran presence. Bogdan Bogdanovic got hot at the right time. And of course, Trae Young led the team with 24 points, 8 assists, and a game-winning shot with less than 5 seconds remaining in the game.

Post-Game Interviews

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said, "Our backs were against the wall, and one thing that we talked about is being calm. In that fourth quarter, we got to get back to calm."

When asked about the final offensive possession, McMillan said, "Basically it was like, 'Go.'" McMillan continued, "When the big moment came, he had the last possession, he made it happen."

Trae Young said of the final play, "I didn't have any doubt if I shot it I was going to make it. But I was really trying to make the right read. I was driving to the middle and waiting to see if somebody helps and I was going, to be honest, find a shooter if they helped. Or if they didn't help, I was going to get to the basket. I was able to get to the basket and get my floater."

Game Four is in Atlanta on Sunday night. It's another must-win game for the Hawks. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Trae Young - 24 PTS, 8 REB

Bogdan Bogdanovic - 18 PTS, 8 REB

De'Andre Hunter - 17 PTS

Heat Leaders

Tyler Herro - 24 PTS, 7 REB

Jimmy Butler - 20 PTS, 10 REB

Max Strus - 20 PTS, 1 REB

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Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".