The Heat got away with a dub in Atlanta against the Hawks but almost lost the game, plus its dignity through regulation and two extra periods. The crew has Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and Jimmy Butler mainly to thank.

They unlocked the offense early, too. Butler finished a layup and lob in transition, drove into the lane for a reverse scoop and converted four freebies. Jović downed a left-wing tray, pierced the paint to score on a slot cut and euro-stepped past Dejounte Murray in the square for a bucket. And Herro added seven points.

The hosts retaliated with 27 opening points on 56.5% accuracy. Most of the damage was perpetrated by backup big man Bruno Fernando, registering four shots in the restricted area. De’Andre Hunter also dribbled past Butler, pulling up for a 10-foot jumper inside the elbow and maneuvered to the left of Clint Capela’s screen, breaching the heart of the defense for two points.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat led 30-27 but were behind on the glass by three.

Next, the defense contained the Hawks to 34.8% shooting in the second quarter, mainly by shutting down Hunter on rim drives in single coverage plus contesting his deep tries.

On the Heat side, Herro tallied three more baskets in the paint and hoisted a successful jumper at the nail, set up by Bam Adebayo’s dribble handoff. Delon Wright contributed seven points. And the rest of the squad made five of 11 attempts in the period.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 59-47 but behind on the glass by four. The visitors had 26 paint points, five on the break, none via second chances, eight after turnovers and 13 from the bench.

The Hawks had 26 interior points, seven in the open court, six on extra tries, four after turnovers and 16 from the reserves.

Then the Heat’s offense jammed coming out of intermission. The Hawks stuck closely to the snipers, contesting cleanly and overwhelmed paint entries with swiping hands and an extra man.

Jović and Herro saved the Heat from discombobulation in the third as the only teammates to record multiple baskets.

On the Hawks’ side, Hunter cut back door for a layup, swished two 3-pointers, dribbled past Jović to hit an 11-foot shot and canned a jumper over Wright. And Jalen Johnson distributed six marks.

The frame ended with the match tied at 80 points.

Then Herro opened the fourth quarter with the Heat’s initial two baskets set up by Adebayo screens- a left-side floater and wing triple facing Fernando in drop coverage.

But the squad misfired its last six field goals in the closing four minutes of regulation as the Hawks supplied three out of seven buckets, but none more significant than Murray’s dash past Butler for a layup that Adebayo illegally swatted. That tied the game again, followed by a clumsy attempt by the Heat to claim the edge.

In the first extra period, the Heat disrupted deep shots and slowed down Murray, with Highsmith forcing him into two tough attempts at the nail and in the paint.

But the Heat failed to capitalize, logging only Jović and Highsmith’s three-pointers. Butler nearly gave away the game with a turnover. Murray recovered it, racing down court, yet Butler atoned for his error, not permitting a clean release.

In the second overtime, Herro checked Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanović, forcing misses on their rim attacks. The Hawks made only two of 10 ventures the rest of the way, while Jović, Herro and Highsmith combined for 10 points.

The Heat won 117-111. It got outrebounded by 13 and had 44 paint points, 10 on the break, two via second chances, 13 after turnovers and 26 from the bench.

Herro tallied 33 points on 13 of 25 attempts, with five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in his first start since hurting his foot on Feb. 23. Butler put 25 on his scorecard on 14 looks, with eight rebounds and nine dimes. And Jović produced 23 points on 66.7% accuracy, with eight rebounds and one assist.

The Hawks had 50 interior points, 14 in the open court, 23 on extra tries, 20 after turnovers and 29 from the reserves.

Murray had 29 points on 12 of 31 tries and picked up 13 rebounds, 13 helpings and four turnovers. Hunter provided 23 on his ledger on 43.5% shooting, with 11 rebounds and three assists. And Fernando had 12 points and four rebounds.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about Jović’s on-court growth. He said, “He’s improved in so many of the areas. It started with his work ethic… He’s really been committed to the work. It doesn’t happen overnight. I always say, ‘So many people overestimate what you can do in a day, but they underestimate what you can do in a matter of months.’”

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A shining opportunity presented itself for the Heat- momentarily claiming the sixth seed in Indiana- but the crew arrived unprepared, and its protections were as soft as cotton candy half of the match, permitting easy access into the lane and giving up the top of the key. And then its efforts were insufficient in the end. Barring some metamorphosis or black magic ritual, the Play-In Tournament is inevitable for the Heat.

For the millionth time, TJ McConnell channeled John Stockton, castigating the Heatles in transition, pick and roll plus isolating Tyler Herro for a fadeaway jumper and baseline drive.

Myles Turner outplayed Bam Adebayo.

Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier did a lot of running.

At halftime, the Heat was down 46-63. The squad had 20 paint points, two on the break, two via second chances, four after turnovers and 17 from the bench.

On the other side, the Pacers supplied 32 interior points, four on the break, nine on extra tries, four after turnovers and 25 from the reserves.

And of course, the Heat didn’t get its act together until a spurt midway through the third quarter, pulling the group within nine points as Butler swished a corner tray in Pascal Siakam’s face, canned three freebies and hunted down Andrew Nembhard in the post, nailing a turnaround jumper.

And there was a late chance.

The visitors entered the fourth quarter down 13 points. Next, Nikola Jović drew a 3-point foul on Siakam, slicing the deficit to seven and cutting it to six a minute later with a banger in the corner off Butler’s drive and kick. On the succeeding play, Butler pedaled to the rim in transition, making a left-handed scoop.

An Indiana turnover followed, giving the Heat the possession back, and the unit called timeout. Then Caleb Martin hit a jumper inside the nail against Siakam in drop coverage. Yet, Haliburton countered, striking the rim on a right-side drive set up by a horns action.

With 2:40 left, Jović missed up close, initiating a fastbreak that Butler fouled Aaron Nesmith on, sending him to the line. Coach Erik Spoelstra challenged that call unsuccessfully.

But Herro gave the unit an adrenaline shot in the veins, getting fouled by Siakam on a right-wing 3-point attempt. The hosts unsuccessfully challenged, but his three free throws put the Heat down two.

The Pacers called its last timeout, but Adebayo fouled Turner after the catch. Turner made both freebies.

In response, Herro cashed a triple in transition off a handoff from Butler against Siakam up top.

Subsequently, Nesmith was intentionally fouled by Herro, and he put the Pacers ahead by three.

The Pacers wouldn’t let the Heat have a chance to tie, so they purposely fouled Herro with 6.6 seconds left. He made the first, intentionally missed the last, but stepped inside the line too quickly before the ball hit the rim.

Curtains.

The Heat finished with 42 paint points, six on the break, four via second chances, six after turnovers and 46 from the bench.

Butler produced 27 points on seven of 16 ventures, with seven rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Adebayo had 20 points on 44.4% accuracy, with 12 boards and three dimes. Martin tallied 20 marks on 10 shots and recovered three rebounds and two assists. And Jović put up 18 points on six of 10 attempts, with two rebounds.

The Pacers had 58 interior points, six in the open court, 11 on extra tries, nine after turnovers and 39 from the reserves.

Turner had 22 points on six of 12 tries, with 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. McConnell dispensed 22 points, making 78.6% of his shots, with five assists. And Siakam had 18 points and eight rebounds.

Postgame, Spoelstra was asked about the first-half struggles. He said, “[The Pacers] definitely were the assertive ones… it has to be every single possession, obviously, and that’s what’s disappointing because we have great habits of playing consistently and doing it hard.”

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Haywood Highsmith and Terry Rozier saved the crew from shame in the first half, and as they were up eight points in the last six minutes, the Heatles muddied their shorts.

The Heat was absent Tyler Herro (foot). 

Coach Erik Spoelstra called a timeout as the 76ers seized a 10-0 lead in the opening possessions. Tyrese Maxey, the one the Heat passed on in the 2020 Draft for Precious Achiuwa, burned defenses with a swarm of jumpers and drive-bys. And reigning MVP Joel Embiid wiped out coverages, shooting from long and mid-distance, plus broke into the paint for two layups off the catch.

In a delayed response, Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, and Nikola Jović clapped back, gashing the 76ers transition defense for a dozen points. In the half court, Butler maneuvered into the paint off a pick-and-roll set with Bam Adebayo for a floater, and Rozier made a step-back triple over Nicolas Batum in the left corner.

Haywood Highsmith checked in for Duncan Robinson eight minutes in. Before the sequence ended, he came in as a help defender from the top, rejecting Kenyon Martin Jr.’s layup and stealing Philadelphia’s inbound pass under its basket, resulting in Jaime Jaquez Jr. scoring at the rim through contact.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat was down 29-39, shooting 42.9% to the 76ers 57.1%.

Next, Highsmith took charge as the only Heat player recording multiple field goals (5) in the period. He nailed two catch-and-shoot triples, slashed into the paint to make a reverse layup, carved up the baseline for a dunk and dropped one putback. And apart from contesting deep shots, he poked the ball loose from Kelly Oubre Jr. on a left-side drive.

Additionally, Caleb Martin claimed the Heat’s first lead on a transition pull-up banger. But the 76ers finished the half on a 20-9 burst. Maxey got the cup easily in the open court and sped past the zone. Embiid contributed six more points. Cameron Payne swished a 3-pointer. And Paul Reed made a layup driving left after catching in the middle against the zone.

Notably, the Heat’s last basket of the half sprung off Rozier intercepting Embiid’s bad pass and nailing 28-foot fastbreak triple as the horn buzzed through Kaseya Center.

At halftime, the Heat was down 55-63 and above on the glass by two. The Heat had 24 paint points, 15 on the break, two via second chances, 11 after turnovers and 26 from the bench.

Highsmith recorded 12 points on five of seven looks, with three rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block. Rozier had 11 on his scorecard on 33.3% shooting, with one steal and two turnovers. And Butler had nine points on six attempts and picked up two boards and three dimes.

The 76ers had 28 interior points, 11 in the open court, four on extra tries, 15 after turnovers and nine from the reserves.

Maxey, channeling The Answer, Allen Iverson, tallied 24 points on 10 of 15 attempts, with five rebounds and seven assists. Embiid notched 21 marks on 61.5% accuracy, with three rebounds, an assist and a block. And Oubre supplied six points on six tries and recovered five boards.

Past the halfway mark of the third, the Heat was still down 10 points. Subsequently, the home squad finished the interval on a 17-6 run- Adebayo cashed a left-side fadeaway over Reed; Butler scored twice at close range; Jović splashed a tray; JJJ canned a seven-footer in the lane; and Rozier raced from coast to coast for a reverse layup and made a transition three.

The fourth quarter started with the Heat up 88-87. Butler dribbled left past Batum for a layup and converted a lob on the other side. Kevin Love added seven of his 11 points early in the frame. But after Butler made two freebies, putting the Heat ahead by eight with 6:28 left, the unit got sloppy.

The hosts settled for jumpers and registered one of its last 11 ventures. As they were falling apart, the 76ers got stronger, rattling off 13 unanswered points to snatch control- Maxey killed the zone with a step-back jumper on the right side over JJJ and Highsmith then connected on another on the opposite baseline facing Rozier; KJ Martin got inside for a deuce; Oubre dashed into the lane for a basket and made a three on consecutive possessions and later downed a one more trifecta.

At that point, the Heat’s confidence was fractured. The group followed up with two turnovers by Butler and Highsmith and a miss by the former, trying to go for the win with a three while down two.

The Heat lost 105-109. The squad accumulated 44 paint points, 24 on the break, 14 via second chances, 20 after turnovers and 36 from the bench.

Rozier scored 22 points on seven of 20 attempts, with two rebounds, two assists, one steal and three turnovers. Butler produced 20 on his ledger, accurate on 41.2% of his tries and picked up four rebounds and five dimes. And Highsmith had 12 points on five of seven looks, with nine rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block.

The 76ers amassed 38 interior points, 17 in the open court, 10 on extra tries, 23 after turnovers and 17 from the reserves.

Maxey generated 37 points, filing 15 of 26 shots and recovering nine rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and a block. Embiid had 29 on his scorecard on 44% accuracy, with four rebounds, three dimes, one steal and a block. And Oubre distributed 18 points on 14 attempts and had eight rebounds, two steals and a block.

At the postgame presser, Adebayo said, “[The 76ers] got us out of routine offense, and also, I feel like we [were] careless with the ball. [We] weren’t really detailed at the end of the day.”

Butler spoke on what the Heat need to do. He said, “Win, and everything will take care of itself. Win and we don’t need to worry about anyone else.”

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The depleted Knicks nearly dug themselves out of a 16-point hole, but the Heat pulled away in crunch time.

Tyler Herro (foot) was out for the Heat. OG Anunoby (elbow) and Julius Randle (shoulder) were absent for the Knicks. 

Early, the Heat’s defense forced three turnovers, locking up the passing lanes and pressuring the ball handler, plus paid close attention to Jalen Brunson. But Miles McBride and Donte DiVincenzo maneuvered through openings and converted deep looks.

On offense, Terry Rozier sprayed 12 points, reaching the rim through pick and roll, swishing a corner tray off an under-the-basket inbound, and making two catch-and-shoot transition threes plus a freebie. No other Heatle dropped multiple field goals in the first, but Butler drew fouls, posting up Josh Hart and dribbling past DiVincenzo for two trips to the line.

The Heat closed the first quarter on a 15-2 run and led 34-22, shooting 52.9% to the Knicks’ 36.8%.

Next, Brunson was contained to zero of three baskets, but Bojan Bogdanović poured in seven points off New York’s bench, hitting a putback jumper, two freebies and a wing triple behind Precious Achiuwa’s flare screen.

Countering, Rozier connected on two more trifectas, and Butler broke inside the paint for three finishes. The rest of the team made 29% of its ventures in the period.

At halftime, the Heat was up 58-43 and ahead on the glass by seven. The crew had 14 paint points, four on the break, seven via second chances, two after turnovers and 14 from the bench.

Rozier scored 20 on six of eight attempts, with three rebounds and a block. Butler filed 13 points on 44.4% shooting, with three rebounds and five assists. And Love tallied six points on four attempts and picked up two boards.

The Knicks had 14 interior points, nine in the open court, two on extra tries, six after turnovers and nine from the reserves.

McBride and DiVincenzo each had a dozen points on four of nine looks. Bogdanovic added nine points on six tries and recovered three rebounds.

But out of the break, the Knicks came out a sharper squad behind McBride and DiVincenzo. The former got to the cup for two on a left-side give-and-go with Isaiah Hartenstein, dribbled into the paint, logging a finger roll in front of Butler, cut up the baseline for a dunk and downed an open three at the top. The latter buried three triples and finished a mean lob, assisted by Brunson on the break.

Despite the Heat’s defense not having answers, the attack mostly did. Rozier and Adebayo combined for six of eight buckets in the frame, totaling 16 of the club’s 25 points. Yet, the Knicks’ backline pressured four extra turnovers

In the fourth, Brunson broke the zone twice with two floaters in the paint. DiVincenzo made another tray and two cut-and-scores on the baseline and through the middle. And with four minutes left, the Knicks tied the match, courtesy of Achiuwa’s putback.

In crunch time, the Heat responded with Haywood Highsmith’s banger over Brunson, three freebies from Rozier after getting fouled by Achiuwa on a deep shot, two baskets from Adebayo, and Butler’s five-foot floater over McBride.

The Heat won 109-99. The hosts picked up 34 paint points, nine on the break, 11 via second chances, 14 after turnovers and 32 from the bench.

Rozier provided 34 points on 10 of 15 attempts, with five rebounds, three assists, a block and three turnovers. Butler had 17 points on 41.7% shooting, with five rebounds, six assists and four turnovers. And Adebayo recorded 15 points on nine attempts, with nine rebounds, one assist and a steal.

The Knicks had 38 interior points, 14 in the open court, seven on extra tries, 21 after turnovers and 18 from the reserves.

DiVincenzo recorded 31 points on 11 of 21 attempts, with four rebounds, four assists and four steals. McBride scored 24 on 56.3% accuracy and picked up two rebounds plus two assists. And Brunson had 20 points, making five of 18 looks, with two rebounds, 10 assists and five turnovers.

Rozier handled the on-court interview. He said, “The Knicks [are] a great basketball team, and this league is all about runs. They went on a run, we stayed poised, we figured out what we needed to do on offense down the stretch, and we did it. We executed.”

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about how the team guarded Brunson. He said, “Great players force you to bring a second defender, and sometimes, a third defender… he’s that good right now.”

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