Takeaways From The Miami Heat’s Loss Tuesday Against The Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Miami Heat, advancing to the playoffs for a third straight year

The Miami Heat started the game off slow but made a comeback in the second half. However, the Atlanta Hawks defeated them and grabbed the No. 7 seed. They play the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs while the Heat await the winner of the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors game.

Here are some major takeaways from the game:

-Kyle Lowry, who had a difficult season, put on a strong performance. He recorded 33 points off the bench, the most he scored since May. 2, 2021 when he was with the Raptors. He also had six 3-pointers.

-After being sidelined two games due to rest, Jimmy Butler scored 21 points but shot just 31 percent, the lowest since Jan. 2. He also had four rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and one block.

-Besides Lowry, the rest of the Heat’s bench was quiet. Kevin Love and Cody Zeller scored two points while Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin went scoreless.

-The Heat had trouble keeping possession of the ball. They recorded eight turnovers, six in the first half. The Heat’s turnovers led to 17 fast break points for the Hawks.

-After a rough start, Tyler Herro started to get a rhythm going. He scored 17 second-half points, finishing with 26. However, he struggled from the 3-point line, hitting just two of his nine 3-pointers.

-The Heat’s defense couldn’t stop the Hawks from getting inside, allowing 64 points in the paint, the most since Jan. 18. 

-Hawks guard Trae Young broke free from his recent slump against the Heat. He had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, making up for last year's poor performance when the teams met in the first round. 

-The Hawks held a 63-39 rebounding edge, led by Clint Capela's 21 boards (eight offensive).

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE