From the Jump
The Miami Heat came into this game intending to put the Atlanta Hawks away for good. Miami was up 2-0 in the series after woeful performances from one of the league’s best, Trae Young. Miami came out with fire and a determination to jump out to an early lead and did so but Atlanta wasn’t backing down. In the first half, Atlanta was hitting big shot after big shot and had the crowd roaring in support. Trae Young was hitting threes from the logo and Atlanta was booming. Miami came back with big shots of their own as phenom Tyler Herro scored 24 points off the bench and was in full attack mode. The first half came to an end and the Hawks held a seven-point advantage going into the second half.
Miami Up Big
The second half of action ensued and Miami came out firing on all cylinders. Jimmy Butler hit the ground running after a quiet second quarter, and gave a look of the Jimmy Butler that took the Heat to the finals two years ago. Max Strus got the starting nod and did not take that challenge lightly. Strus added 20 points on a very efficient 7/13 shooting and was the spark from beyond the arc that the Heat needed. The Heat went on a 21-point run during the third quarter and it looked like the Hawks were done for. Trae Young said otherwise.
Ice Trae
The fourth quarter started and the energy in the building was starting to rumble as the Hawks began to crawl their way back from a large deficit. Trae Young was making deep threes look like practice shots and Deandre Hunter was putting on a clinic on the defensive side of the ball. The Hawks were hitting shot after shot and it left Miami dead in their tracks. With only two and a half minutes to play, the Hawks tied the game at 104 and the chaos ensued. Miami locked into that grit and tenacity that they are known for and Atlanta showed why they shoot the rock with the best of them. Miami did all they could but Trae Young took over in crunch time and sealed the game with a floater with just 4.4 seconds left. Atlanta went on to win dramatically by a score of 111-110.
Run It Back
The Miami Heat will be out for revenge in game four on Sunday in Atlanta.