The Atlanta Hawks had no answer for Jimmy Butler in Game 2 of Round 1 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. When you go off, you’re on a mission to win. A 45-point swing from Butler lifted the No. 1 seed Heat over the No. 8 Hawks, and it was barely close.
Recap
The Heat have done it once again, capturing the 115-105 victory to send the Hawks back to the drawing board.
In the first quarter, Miami was trying to push the tempo, but the Hawks kept on answering the call, giving themselves a one-point trail, 26-25 to close out the opening frame.
Fast forwarding, the Hawks made the mistake of sending Jimmy Butler to the free throw line seven times, including the end of the first half. When you look at the situation, Atlanta played the personal foul game too much, and this led to 16 free throws converted. The difference through the first half was all of the freebies the Heat had been given at the charity stripe. After a half, Jimmy Butler was the game’s leading scorer with 21 first-half points.
By the end of the game, it became obvious that Atlanta was no match for the White Hot Heat. Jimmy Butler, who finished with 45 points, was making shot after shot while getting fouled. Butler was also making threes, something he struggled with during the regular season.
Jimmy Butler is the 2nd player in NBA history with
45+ points
0 turnovers
0 foulsin a playoff game, joining Dominique Wilkins. pic.twitter.com/lR2JRKDwvv
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 20, 2022
Jimmy Butler playoff career high:
45 PTS
5 REB
5 AST
15-25 FG
4-7 3PHe joins LeBron and DWade as the only Heat players with a 45-point playoff game. pic.twitter.com/32aW6npaJA
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 20, 2022
It is obvious that the Miami Heat aren’t going to give up home court advantage no matter who the opponent is. Despite Miami’s early successes, the Heat should translate their game into the paint more.
Miami did a good job holding Trae Young to only 25 points with six rebounds and seven assists. Bogdan Bogdanović was Atlanta’s leading scorer, racking up 29 points. However, it wasn’t enough to get the win.
Atlanta deserves credit for making this a whale of a match. Also, the Hawks are playing without center Clint Capela, so some leeway needs to be given.
Next Up
Miami will travel to State Farm Arena for Game 3 of the first round. Will the Heat make it three straight? Or, are the Hawks going to get back into this series and win the next game?
Tip-off will begin Friday night at 7:00 pm.