Depleted Miami Heat see off plucky Atlanta Hawks to reach East semis

Victor Oladipo scored 23 factors, Bam Adebayo added 20 factors and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Warmth moved into the Japanese Convention semi-finals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94 on Tuesday evening.

Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Warmth, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in 5 video games. And Miami obtained the series-clincher with out Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, each of whom sat out Tuesday with accidents.

Trae Younger’s tough sequence for Atlanta remained that method: He completed 2 for 12 from the ground, scoring simply 11 factors. For the sequence, the Hawks’ guard shot 32% in opposition to Miami’s swarming protection.

De’Andre Hunter scored 35 for Atlanta, which obtained 12 apiece from Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari.

Hunter fouled out with 41.6 seconds left, Miami clinging to a three-point lead on the time. The Hawks obtained a cease, taking up with 29.2 seconds remaining, and retained possession after a missed shot from Gallinari went out of bounds off Miami.

The Hawks by no means obtained one other shot off, time expired and Miami moved on.

Onyeka Okongwu’s three-point play obtained Atlanta inside 79-76 early within the fourth, the Hawks clawing again after being down by as many as 15.

However Herro hit a high-arcing jumper from the lane, Miami obtained a cease, and Oladipo hit a left-wing three on the subsequent Warmth possession to push the lead again to eight with 7:29 remaining.

That’s how the ultimate minutes went: Atlanta made a cost, Miami would maintain it off, all the best way to the tip.

And now, the Warmth get practically per week off earlier than dealing with both Philadelphia or Toronto within the East semis. Recreation 1 shall be Monday in Miami.

The Warmth already knew they’d be with out Lowry, who missed his second consecutive recreation with a strained left hamstring. The shock was Butler, who reported knee soreness to the workforce on Monday and didn’t see sufficient enchancment to play on Tuesday.

It was the fourth time the Warmth needed to play with out each Butler and Lowry this season, after going 1-2 in that situation throughout the common season – a type of losses being the finale in Orlando the place Miami sat most of their rotation gamers.

And Butler and Lowry spent the ultimate couple of minutes of the primary half notably having fun with what was occurring.

A 17-0 Miami run – together with 10 in a row from Strus in a span of 67 seconds – turned a three-point deficit right into a 54-40 lead late within the second quarter. Miami pushed the lead out to 67-52 on a rating by Adebayo with 2:55 left within the third, and the lead was 75-64 going into the fourth.

Atlanta had one final cost to make, getting inside two within the ultimate moments – however no nearer.