Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. ignite as the Miami Heat cap the season with a dominant win, setting sights on the Play-In Tournament.
The Miami Heat conclude the 82-game regular season after a 143-117 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. They led from beginning to end and played at a fast pace. Despite the Hawks sitting all regular starters, the Heat were relatively healthy to utilize most of the rotation.
Bam Adebayo set the tone early with 13 first-quarter points and finished with 25 on 61.1 percent shooting, along with 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks in 29 minutes. He was too big a force for the Hawks’ second and third stringers to contain. Jaime Jaquez Jr. followed with 26 points on 70.6 percent shooting, a rebound, and five assists in 26 minutes off the bench.
Despite the Hawks sitting out most of the established players, 10-year veteran guard Buddy Hield made the most of an extended opportunity. He scored a game-high 31 points on 66.7 percent shooting, including seven three-pointers made, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 21 minutes. The 33-year-old is known to ignite, but sharing a roster with CJ McCollum, Nickel Alexander-Walker, and Jalen Johnson won’t leave many extended opportunities for Hield to get as many shot attempts.
As the Heat were primarily playing against players usually outside of the rotation, it allowed them to exploit the level of inexperience in front of them. The Hawks committed 16 total turnovers, which resulted in 22 points. With the lack of a true point guard, taking care of the basketball became an issue.
As coach Erik Spoelstra sticks with the double-big lineup, Kel’el Ware continues to find a rhythm early. He finished the game with 16 points on 66.7 percent shooting, including four three-pointers made, seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 29 minutes. The combo of Ware and Adebayo has yet to reach its full potential.
The Heat finished the regular season with a 43-39 record, sitting at the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference standings. They will face the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center in the first game of the Play-In Tournament, a win-or-go-home situation. After all the ups and downs throughout the regular season, especially the injuries, the team will have an opportunity to start fresh. However, the sense of urgency will need to kick in right away, ahead of the Tuesday night matchup.
“If we don’t win, it’s over,” Jaquez Jr. said. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want this season to end. I love these guys, I love this locker room, and you’re not guaranteed that this is going to be the same team you’re going to have next year. You want to make the most of it.”
Make sure to check out the latest of the HeatWave Podcast, part of the Roundtable Sports Network, hosted by Miami Heat beat writer Anthony Aguirre.
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