Atlanta Hawks: Rapid Reaction to 115-113 Win vs. Heat

Rapid reactions to an entertaining and feisty affair against the Miami Heat, which ended with an Atlanta Hawks victory by a final margin of 115 to 113.

Shockingly, the Atlanta Hawks have their first winning streak of the season. The team defeated the Miami Heat on Tuesday night 115 to 113, though the Hawks had led by double-digits for much of the second half.

It was a tightly contested affair down the end of the game, and the Heat had a chance to win it on a wide-open Josh Richardson three-pointer as time expired – the shot was on line, but it glanced off the rim into the welcoming arms of John Collins, who had a strong game.

The Heat almost pulled out a stirring victory against the Hawks, mostly on the back of a swarming, handsy defense. Miami’s length, speed and good defensive personnel led to an NBA season-high of 20 steals for a team against the Hawks. To their detriment, Miami also matched those steals with 20 turnovers of their own.

The Hawks got numerous impressive individual performances, headlined by Trae Young. For the most part, Young impaled the Heat defense with pinpoint passes and ended up with yet another double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, and he added 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block for good measure.

John Collins continues to look like a game-changing addition for the Atlanta Hawks, as expected, as he played crucial minutes down the stretch – scoring the Hawks’ final field goal of the game with 1:33 left.

Taurean Prince scored the 115th point of the night for the Hawks on a free throw, and he ended the game as the Atlanta Hawks’ leading scorer with 18 points. Though his ball-dominant ways of last season have fallen by the wayside with the entrance of Ice Trae, Prince is still an extremely important piece for the Hawks going forward.

The Hawks rode supreme offensive balance (thanks to Coach Pierce’s willingness to tinker with the lineup) to the promised land in this one; each player who played more than 17 minutes (which was all but one, Justin Anderson, who only played 2) scored at least 6 points – exceptional balance for an Atlanta Hawks team that has been getting terrific support from its bench all season.

The Atlanta Hawks play tomorrow in a back-to-back against the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is 7:00 p.m. EST.