MIAMI – Coming off the momentum of the Miami Heat beating Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors, the team comes into the Kaseya Center Thursday night and beats the Atlanta Hawks, 122-112. Even after the Heat lost 10 straight games, they now have won three straight looking to end the regular season on a high note as there are some traits that the team “developed” per head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“We definitely have developed some grit and resilience,” Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints. “Yeah, even if a team will start off like they did, and you have to credit them. That's how they play, they play fast. They got us on our heels right away. They had 10 in transition just before we could even blink before I could even call that first time out, but we settled into it.”
“Both teams knew the importance of this game,” Spoelstra continued. “You know, that's what you have to kind of enjoy about this time of year and these games, you hope that it brings out the best in you, and it definitely brought out a different level in us from that point on. You know, the defensive activity was, was solid. Lots of guys made contributions.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about starting slow and making that turnaround to gain an advantage on Atlanta. Talked about what the team developed and ran down some key performances.
“We definitely have developed some grit and resilience…”
Full response: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/8A95krCJej
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 28, 2025
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Tyler Herrio led the way scoring 36 points on an efficient 13 of 17 from the field as six other players scored in double-digits.
Here are three takeaways from Miami's win over Atlanta:
Heat makes quick turnaround in the first half against Trae Young, Hawks
Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the fist half at Kaseya Center.
Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
After an electric performance from the Heat against Jimmy Butler and the Warriors on Tuesday, that energy didn't carry over initially against the Hawks on Thursday night. Spoelstra would call timeout after Miami was down 12-2 to start, shooting one of eight from the field and missing their first three shots from beyond the arc after shooting a whopping 68 percent from that range the other night.
Miami would end the first quarter down 10 as they made eight of 23 from the field and two of nine from deep as the team also committed four turnovers which led to seven points for Atlanta. The opponent scored 32 in the first period as Trae Young led his team early with 10 points and four assists.
However, the second period turned it around for the Heat as after scoring 22 in the first frame, the team would put up 38 points in the second, ending the first half on a 17-4 run, being up five points. Miami would match up Atlanta's fast pace and mixed that in with their physicality, giving them good opportunities at the basket.
The second period looked like Tuesday's night win over Golden State as the Heat shot 61.9 percent (13-21) from the field and made six of their nine attempts from deep. Wiggins had a strong second with 10 points as Herro and Adebayo each had seven and six respectively.
It would also be a strong second quarter for Davion Mitchell who had eight in the first half, shooting three of five from the field and making both of his threes to go along with three assists. Miami looks to bring that momentum into the second half.
Some drama, but Heat close out the Hawks in the second half
As the Heat are not looking to repeat the 10-game skid in regards to their blown double-digit leads and fourth quarter meltdowns, the team would start the third period on a strong note with a 14-3 run. Miami would lead by as much as 21 points, but the Hawks wouldn't leave without putting up a fight as towards the end of the third going into the fourth, they would even cut their deficit down to six.
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Looking at the fourth quarter, Atlanta wouldn't miss a single shot to start, but it was Herro who would go hero mode to match their speed and continue on with his efficient night. The Heat would once again be up double-digits as they are desperately trying to get rid of the concerning trend.
One of the energizing plays that led to the victory was Mitchell going for the hustle play at half-court, leading to a huge three in the fourth quarter.
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While the Hawks would continue to make it interesting, Miami would outlast them until the very end as they ended the game with a 10-point lead. After the past three victories, it seems like a long time ago when fans were cringing after the 10 consecutive losses.
Heat's “process” continuing to improve amid three-game winning streak
While the Heat have seen improvements even in the 10-game skid from before, the one aspect that Spoelstra mentioned was continually getting better was their “process.” He spoke about this before the victory over the Hawks where it starts defensively and the offense follow, even saying to CluthPoints that they've “been making great strides” on that side of the ball.
“Our process really starts defensively,” Spoelstra said. “Offensively, we felt like we've been making great strides, we still have some work to do in fourth quarters of close games, but there are large segments of these games where it's a lot more coherent, the thought process to our offense and how we're getting to what we're getting to, is much better. We're seeing improvement, that always helps when the balls going in, you know, like it did the other night, but I felt really good about the progress three weeks ago. It just feels like you know the momentum is going in the right direction.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about the “process” he spoke about during the skid and where it is coming off of last game.
“Our process starts defensively, offensively, we felt like we’ve been making great strides. We still have some work to do in fourth quarters…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/FTnZTJCwfa
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 27, 2025
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A lot of that process that Spoelstra mentioned was on full display in the win over Atlanta, though it took a little longer to see after the slow start in the first quarter. Miami would start to gain some rhythm defensively, leading to easy buckets and them finding their stride, especially from three-point range as they finished shooting 54.5 percent.
At any rate, Miami is now 32-41 which puts them 10th in the Eastern Conference as they now go on a three-game road trip to first take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.