The Hawks fell 129-117 to the Heat, their second straight home loss, after giving up 69 points before intermission. Kingston Flemings led Atlanta with 23, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's 24 points and 18 boards set the terms.
The First Half Decided It
Miami closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run to go up 34-22. Atlanta answered right away, scoring 10 straight to get within 34-32 at 10:13 of the second. That answer didn't hold. A 7-0 Heat burst forced Quin Snyder to call timeout at 49-40 with 7:03 left in the half. There were six lead changes and five ties, but the Hawks never led by more than 3. Allowing 34 and 35 points in the first two quarters is the whole story. Atlanta took the second half 61-60, which shows the effort was there, but the hole was too deep to climb out of.
Grades Off the Lines
Flemings gets an A-minus. He had 5 points on 2-of-3 shooting in nine first-half minutes, then finished with a team-high 23 and 5 assists. A 19-year-old rookie carrying the scoring load is a real development. Alexander-Walker gets a B. He went 5-of-10 for 12 points before the break and was the only regular to stay even, at 0 in 16 minutes. Johnson gets a C. He had 8 assists and hit both his threes through two quarters, but he was a team-worst -15 in 18 minutes. Daniels gets a D: 4 points and a -14. McCollum was -12 in 15 minutes. On the other side, Bobby Portis Jr. was +12 off Miami's bench.
No Rest, Then Cleveland
Atlanta finished with McCollum, Daniels, Johnson, Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu on the floor. That's the starting group, and it has to start games better. There's no time to fix it, because the Cavaliers come in tonight at 2-1 with two straight wins. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points, Evan Mobley 18.7 with 9.3 boards, and James Harden 7.0 assists. Atlanta came in 2-2 and seventh in the East, with Cleveland holding sixth, so this one moves the standings directly. After that come three road games at New Orleans, Indiana and Washington.
Who led the Hawks in scoring against the Heat?
Kingston Flemings led Atlanta with 23 points, plus 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Miami with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
When do the Hawks play next after losing to Miami?
They host the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, the night after the Heat loss. They then play at New Orleans on October 31.
