Miami Heat (30-27) beat Atlanta Hawks (27-31) 128-97 on the road on Friday, February 20. The final margin was 31 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Heat had the better start, winning the first 29-16 to lead by 13 after one. The Hawks cut into the deficit with a 35-28 second quarter, though the Heat still led by 6 at halftime.
The Heat won the third 30-24 to create some separation, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Heat took the fourth 41-22; the Heat finished the job for a 128-97 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Heat got more from their shots, finishing at 58.5% effective field-goal shooting compared with 46.3% for the Hawks. The Heat took better care of the ball, turning it over on 7.8% of possessions compared with 12.7% for the Hawks. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Heat produced 124.4 points per 100 possessions to 94.3 for the Hawks.
The Heat's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 69-15.
Who stood out
Tyler Herro was the game's biggest individual force for MIA: 24 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast on 9-14 shooting. His Game Score of 20.9 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks with 22 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast on 8-12 shooting, good for a 20.2 Game Score.
Jalen Johnson (16 pts, 16 reb, 11 ast) and Kel'el Ware (14 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 38% for the Heat.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Miami Heat lead 4-3.
The Heat are now 30-27, and the Hawks are 27-31. The Heat last five before this game: L-L-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.