The Miami Heat also won Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks. In the 115:105 hit, Hawks star Trae Young scored better than he did at the start, but the point guard was clearly outclassed by Jimmy Butler.
Miami Heat (1) – Atlanta Hawks (8) 115:105 (BOXSCORE)
In the end, the Heat had to shake a little, but it was enough, also because Miami had the best player on the field, Jimmy Butler. The forward had 45 points (15/25 FG, 11/12 FT, 5 assists), setting a postseason personal best. The 32-year-old has clearly surpassed his old record from Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals. “It was great basketball from a great basketball player. He is one of the best two-way players in the league,” said fellow player Kyle. Lowry in awe.
Jimmy Buckets also hit four triples in the process, one of which went through the trap in the final two minutes as the Heat star responded to a small outburst from Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Serbian left the game with stupid fouls in the first half, but the guard caught fire in the fourth. The sixth man scored 19 of his 29 points (12/18 FG, 5/10 three points) in the final section and thus secured a somewhat hair-raising finals.
In this Trae Young, on the other hand, remained low-key (just 3 points), and the Hawks All-Star made another partially unfortunate appearance. After just 8 points in Game 1, Young scored 25 points this time (10/20 FG, 2/10 trebles, 7 assists), but also allowed himself 10 turnovers for a rare double-double. “If the referees keep going this far, it’s going to be hard for us to get anything,” said the Hawks star, frustrated with the Heat’s physical play. De’Andre Hunter had 16 points.
Trae Young improved a bit from Game 1
Miami was heavily reliant on Butler, but players like Max Strus (14, 3/8 of three), Dewayne Dedmon (6, 9 rebounds) with good minutes after the break or Gabe Vincent (11), who always played young, also delivered. could bother again. Tyler Herro (15, 5/11) and Bam Adebayo (9) were pale most of the time.
In contrast to the start, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan had John Collins (13, 10 boards) in the top five, but that didn’t change the offensive difficulties. Only 36% of pitches were made in the first quarter, but there were still some easy spots in the transition. Young had already achieved his performance in Game 1 (8) in the ninth minute, but his selection of shots was not always ideal.
And yet, the Hawks were fully in the game because the seed allowed too many turnovers. The visitors got into the groove, even though Kevin Huerter, Bogdanovic and Hunter had problems with free kicks. Young scored over mid-range and had 18 points at halftime. However, Miami ended the quarter better, thanks in particular to Butler, who took control of the action with powerful impulses. Thanks to his 21 points (6/12 FG, 7/7 FT), the hosts opened up a 56:54 lead in the locker room.
Butler with a high career and a late run for the Heat
And Miami picked up the momentum, though Adebayo was quickly banned with four fouls. An 11-0 run with three trebles gave the hosts some breathing room and established a double-digit lead that would last for a while. Young produced 5 turnovers in the opposite section, at least Bogdanovic thawed a little, but without Capela the guests couldn’t get enough stops. Butler was still hot and had 15 points again, it was amazing that the forward hit four out of three over the course of the game.
Atlanta bounced back early in the fourth quarter. Hunter and Bogdanovic led 14-3, but midway through the period the visitors suddenly dropped to -3 again. Bogdanovic scored 10 points in 150 seconds, but Butler had an answer for that too. After Bogdanovic sank another three minutes from the end, Butler made it a personal 7-0 run to including a distance throw with the shotclock running.
It was the game’s decision, with the Heat now traveling to Atlanta with a 2-0 lead. Game 3 takes place in Georgia Saturday night at 1am.
heat vs. Hawks: Series Summary (2-0)
| Match | date | Time | home | far away | result |
| 1 | april 17 | 19 hours | Miami heat | Atlanta Hawks | 115:91 |
| two | april 20 | 1:30 | Miami heat | Atlanta Hawks | 115:105 |
| 3 | April 23 | 01:00 | Atlanta Hawks | Miami heat | – |
| 4 | April 25 | 01:00 | Atlanta Hawks | Miami heat | – |
| 5* | april 27 | to be defined | Miami heat | Atlanta Hawks | – |
| 6* | april 29 | to be defined | Atlanta Hawks | Miami heat | – |
| 7* | 1st May | to be defined | Miami heat | Atlanta Hawks | – |
*if necessary