It was Ice Trae’s floater with 4.4 seconds remaining that gave the Hawks their first win in their series against the Miami Heat, but a team effort allowed for the improbable victory as Atlanta avoided a 3-0 hole in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
To that end, look no further than Deandre Hunter's defensive effort on Miami’s ensuing possession after Young electrified the crowd. Everyone in a sold-out State Farm Arena knew that Jimmy Butler, who led the Heat with 21 points, was getting the ball on Miami’s final possession, but Hunter didn’t allow him to get any separation as he hoisted up a three that missed the mark.
Along with Hunter, It was Delon Wright’s effort, with a +23, that caught Sam Crenshaw’s attention. On Sam & Greg this morning, Crenshaw credited Wright for making the type of hustle plays that may go unnoticed throughout the course of a game.
“Usually he doesn’t get in double figures, but he makes great defensive moves, he’ll get an assist here, he’ll get a rebound there. He’s one of the folks—to borrow a football term—that runs with his head up. If you run with your head down, you still may find a hole, but it's not like if you run with your head up, you see everything in front of you. He plays with his head up, and you find opportunities," he said.
The Heat went on a 21-0 run in the third quarter and while the Hawks looked doomed at that moment, Nate McMillan’s squad didn’t quit. With Wright and several Hawks reserves providing a spark, the Hawks climbed back into the game.
While the Hawks also got 18 points off the bench, including clutch threes, from Bogdan Bogdanovic, Greg Clarkson singled out another strong performance from Onyeka Okongwu as a big reason that the Hawks are back in this series.
"It wasn’t the points, it was his presence in the paint and some key rebounds on both ends of the floor…Miami was getting a ton of offensive rebounds, a lot of second shots and the Hawks weren’t getting any. But then, in that 4th quarter, that’s when Okongwu stepped up," Clarkson said.
Okongwu’s contribution on the offensive glass is best exemplified by his three-point play to give the Hawks a 107-104 lead with just over 1:30 to play.
As a team, the Hawks were able to cut down on the turnovers in their first win of the series, and after committing 10 on his own in game two, Trae Young had just three on Friday night.
With Miami holding a 2-1 lead in the series, game four will tip-off on Sunday night at State Farm Arena at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard right here on 92.9 The Game!