Atlanta’s Late Run Was Too Much for Miami

The Atlanta Hawks snapped the Miami Heat’s six game win streak in a 94-80 victory over the reigning Eastern Conference Champions. Tuesday’s win marked Nate McMillan’s first game as interim head coach after the Hawks fired coach Lloyd Pierce. A victory would have thrust Miami above the .500 winning percentage, just weeks after entirely sliding out of the playoff picture.

Offensive Struggles

In his second game back from nursing a hip injury, second-year veteran Tyler Herro struggled to find a rhythm. The former Kentucky sharp-shooter made just over 30% of his shots on 12 total attempts. The Heat lacked a veteran presence with Jimmy Butler being sidelined due to knee inflammation. 2-time All-Star Bam Adebayo put together an unrecognizable performance, finishing 3-8 from the field with just 2 rebounds. The versatile big-man appeared hesitant to penetrate offensively in any manner.

Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson led the team in scoring with 14 points apiece. The team simply failed to gather any momentum when shooting the ball, finishing just 9-33 from three. For a team that lives and dies by the 3-pointer, an occasional cold spell should be expected. Former Rookie Of The Year runner-up Kendrick Nunn followed up Sundays 24 point outing with an abysmal 6 points on 33% shooting. Although he performed poorly, the young guard is in the process of cementing himself as a key component of the prestigious franchise. With veteran Goran Dragic struggling to remain healthy, the younger Nunn appears to be a more viable long-term option.

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Post-Game Notes

Miami will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Thursday at 8:30 PM. Second-year player Zion Williamson recently earned his first All-Star spot in this years game. The former Duke superstar is averaging 25 points on over 60% shooting, making him the only player since Charles Barkley and Kevin Mchale to accomplish such a feat. The Heat hope to welcome Jimmy Butler back as they take on an emerging young team.

 

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