The Miami Heat once again played down to the competition, faced a double-digit deficit for a large part of the game, and made a late comeback only to once again falter in the final moments of the game with a 123-118 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
The familiar script also played out on the defensive end, this time allowing 41 points in the first quarter and 100 points after three quarters. The Hawks bench outscored the Heat’s reserves 56-45 and rookie point guard Trae Young flourished within the game’s relentless pace and small ball lineups to score 24 points and a season-high 15 assists.