Miami Heat: Trae Young too much for Miami in Heat loss

It was a tough first game back for the Miami Heat following the All Star break. Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the Heat by a 129-124 score.

This was a classic trap game for the Miami Heat. It had all of the signs of a trap game: The first game back from the All-Star break against a Hawks team that has had their struggles this season. Ordinarily, this game would be no problem.

For a Miami Heat team that was looking to set the tone following the break, it was the Atlanta Hawks who made their presence known. Young showed exactly why he is one of the game’s top players. He didn’t have the most efficient night, but he was able to make things happen when he had the basketball in his hands.  He single-handedly led the Hawks to victory.

Miami Heat had trouble containing Young

Young was a pest all night. In 40 minutes of play, he scored 50 points. He was inefficient from the field, going 12-of-25. He made his money both from behind the arc and at the free-throw line. Young shot eight-of-15 from beyond the arc and 18-of-19 at the free-throw line. Getting to the line was his most effective way of scoring.

He showed on Thursday what a multi-faceted scorer he is. This was frustrating to watch for Miami fans. The amount of times he got to the line was noticeable. Even still, he was able to lead the Hawks to victory in multiple ways. It seemed like any time he got a little space or was able to get some room to move, he made something happen with the basketball. At the end of the day, Miami had no answer for him defensively. It seemed like he just would not go away.

This was the first 50-point game of  Young’s career. Perhaps the most scary part of the loss on Thursday was the realization that he is only 21 years old. He is only going to get better from here on out.

Next up for Miami is the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at 8:00 PM. They need to rebound and get back on track to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference.