The Miami Heat are in the second round of the playoffs! Game 5 against the Hawks ends in a thrill, but heat defense secures the crucial 97-94 win. Another disappointing Trae Young has to pack his bags.
Miami Heat (1) – Atlanta Hawks (8) 97:94 (BOXSCORE), Serie: 4-1
The Hawks’ point guard saw no land against the again strong heat defense and had more turnovers (6) than successful field goals (2/12 FG) on the account for 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Atlanta had De’Andre Hunter to thank for the fact that Game 5 was tight again at all, who set a new playoff career high with 35 points (11/21 FG and 11 rebounds).
But that wasn’t enough in the end, as Atlanta’s offense never really got going against Miami, with minor exceptions like Danilo Gallinari or Kevin Huerter (12 each). And that’s despite the fact that the Heat’s Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and Jimmy Butler (knee) were both absent through injury. The Hawks were without Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee) and Clint Capela was only able to play 19 minutes due to injury.
In the Heat, Victor Oladipo jumped into the breach, leading his team with 23 points (8/16 FG). Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points and 11 boards, Max Strus (15) and Tyler Herro (16) also provided good offensive support. Miami now gets some rest and meets the winner of Sixers vs. Raptors in the second round.
Without Lowry and Butler, Oladipo moved into the starting five alongside Gabe Vincent in just his second appearance of the postseason. The former All-NBA guard was immediately in attack mode, thanks to numerous powerful drives he scored 8 quick points and Miami grabbed a 14:9 lead – all 14 points came in the zone. Otherwise, the hosts had enormous problems scoring. But the defense was again like a one. Atlanta scored less than 30 percent from the field in the first quarter, but several offensive rebounds allowed the guests to take a 22:21 lead.
Heat defense puts pressure on – Hawks start comeback
The Heat’s offensive problems continued into the middle of the second quarter. Miami was 12/15 in the zone at this point – 0/12 outside the zone until Herro sank a long jumper and Oladipo sank the first heat three on the ninth attempt. And then it was Strus time! The 26-year-old scored 10 points in 67 seconds, the Hawks tripped themselves with Turnover and went over four minutes without a field goal. The result was a 17-0 run by the Heat, which made it 54-42 before half-time.
Coach Nate McMillan’s half-time speech was apparently fruitful: Atlanta started the second half 8-0. Only Young was still nothing to see, he fought extremely again with the poisonous heat defense, which gave him hardly any air to breathe. Thanks to the defense, Miami got the game back under control (+15), a three-pointer by Danilo Gallinari at the end of the third quarter made it 64:75 from Hawks’ point of view.
The powerful Hunter even reduced Atlanta to -6 after a few minutes in the final period, but Herro and a long-range Oladipo responded well. Hunter kept the guests within striking distance, but now Strus was there. Young put a corner three on the side of the backboard – symbolic of his next night of horror.
Miami Heat defy strong Hunter – Hawks are eliminated
Nevertheless – thanks to Hunter – Miami went up +4 in the last two minutes, his next jumper with his foot on the three-point line made it 93:95. After a strong drive, Oladipo served big man Adebayo under the basket, who restored the old distance. Young missed one of two free throws on the other side. Hunter fouled out a controversial call, but Strus afforded an airball.
The last few seconds turned into a thriller. Atlanta struggled to survive, Gallinari missed a midrange jumper against strong defense, but the Hawks got the offensive rebound. With 5.2 seconds on the clock, Atlanta got one last chance – but not an inch of space! The Hawks couldn’t even throw a shot, and Miami forced a turnover. The Hawks’ season is over.
NBA Playoffs – Heat vs. Hawks: The Series at a Glance (4-1)
| Spiel | Datum | time | Heim | away | result |
| 1 | 17. April | 19 o’clock | Miami Heat | Atlanta Hawks | 115:91 |
| 2 | 20. April | 1:30 | Miami Heat | Atlanta Hawks | 115:105 |
| 3 | 23. April | 1 O ‘clock | Atlanta Hawks | Miami Heat | 111:110 |
| 4 | 25. April | 1 O ‘clock | Atlanta Hawks | Miami Heat | 83:110 |
| 5 | 27. April | 1 O ‘clock | Miami Heat | Atlanta Hawks | 97:94 |