Miami Heat Unable To Overcome Fast Start By Atlanta Hawks
By halftime, the Atlanta Hawks had 70 points.
From there, it was mostly cruise control before things got a little interesting late.
The Hawks used their fast start in the first half, including 67 percent shooting, to defeat the Miami Heat 121-113 Monday at State Farm Arena. The loss snapped the Heat's three-game winning streak.
The Heat trailed 70-50 at the half despite welcoming back Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin to the starting lineup. Herro was sidelined three games with a sore Achilles while Martin missed five games due to a quadriceps injury.
Both showed signs of rust but it was more about the Hawks. Dejounte Murray led the way with 28 points. The Heat left too much of the responsibility on Jimmy Butler, who finished with a game-high 34 points. Center Bam Adebayo struggled for the most part before scoring most of his 20 points in the second half while the Heat were playing catch-up.
The Heat pulled to within four in the final minute but the Hawks closed it out by hitting free throws.
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