After four straight losses, the Atlanta Hawks arrived at State Farm Arena on Saturday with a bit of additional motivation. 48 minutes later, the team stopped the bleeding of an active losing streak with a competitive (and entertaining) 123-118 win over the Miami Heat.
Before tip-off, the Hawks unleashed a bit of a surprise (albeit a mild one), as rookie big man Omari Spellman got the first start of his NBA career, replacing Vince Carter at the 4.
Though the addition of Spellman can’t be credited for everything that transpired offensively in the early going, the first-year player from Villanova did perform well.