Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat got away with the win in double overtime in Atlanta

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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