This was a game the Miami Heat was supposed to take care of and get the win as the Atlanta Hawks were missing several players, including Trae Young. With a win, the Heat would’ve jumped to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Unfortunately, the Heat’s offense went cold in the second half and the Hawks took over the game. Miami falls to 31-29 on the season. Here are my three takeaways from Friday’s loss against the Hawks.
Miami’s First Half Defensive Issues
With no Trae Young and Clint Capela, it looked like Miami’s defense wouldn’t have any issues. They wouldn’t have to worry about Young’s ability to shoot and break down the defense, or Capela’s activity on the boards. However, it didn’t matter. The Hawks took advantage of Miami’s switching defense by forcing mismatches and swinging the ball to the open shooter. Miami gave up 62 points in the first half.
Bam Defers Again
Last week, Jimmy Butler said he wanted more from Bam Adebayo, and Bam responded against the Brooklyn Nets. Five days later, he was back to deferring. Adebayo had seven shot attempts with two minutes left in the game. In a game with no Capela, the Heat needed more from its star center. Instead, Adebayo was very passive and also careless with the ball at times. Adebayo finished with 16 points, five assists, and two rebounds.
Nunn Has His Moments
One of the bright spots of the night was Kendrick Nunn. Nunn kept the Heat going early by hitting his outside shots. He was also the Heat’s best on-ball guard defender. As long as Victor Oladipo is out, minutes won’t be hard to come by for Nunn. But it won’t be easy once Oladipo returns unless the Heat decides to bench either Tyler Herro or Goran Dragic. Nunn finished with a team-high 21 points.
Next up: Miami takes on the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. The game tips off at 8 pm est.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Jacari McRae on Twitter @JMcRae23
Main Image designed by Jeremy Guerin IG: @jeremycguerin
