ATLANTA (AP) — Miami used team defense to smother Atlanta's Trae Young and then leaned on Jimmy Butler to take the scoring lead.
Butler scored 13 of his 36 points in a dominant second quarter and the Heat beat the Hawks 110-86 while again shutting down Young on Sunday night to take a 3-1 series lead.
MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler walked off the floor when his night's work was complete, lifted his arms in the air and heard a sold-out arena serenade him with screams.
That didn't happen in the bubble two years ago, since nobody was there.
MIAMI (AP) — Duncan Robinson couldn't miss shots. Trae Young couldn't make shots.
In simplest terms, that's how Game 1 went for Miami and Atlanta.
Robinson came off the bench to set a franchise playoff record with eight 3-pointers, and the top-seeded Heat forced Young into matching the worst-shooting game of his career on the way to a 115-91 win over the eighth-seeded Hawks in the opener of an Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday.
ATLANTA (AP) — For one night, at least, the Atlanta Hawks looked like the team that made a stunning run to the Eastern Conference final last summer.
Trae Young bounced back from a sluggish start to score 24 points and De'Andre Hunter led a third-quarter surge Wednesday that carried the Hawks to a 132-103 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in a play-in game.
NEW YORK (AP) — Trae Young got a pregame hug from Spike Lee, so there was at least a little love for him inside Madison Square Garden.
Once the game started, so did the boos.
And just like the playoffs, it was Young who had the last word.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers were on a roll before making a crucial mistake against Atlanta's Trae Young.
“We let Trae get hot and they gained momentum,” Trendon Watford said.
Young scored 21 of his 46 points in the third period and the Hawks recovered from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat the Blazers 122-113 on Monday night.
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 33 of his 47 points in the first half, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 131-128 on Sunday night.
Atlanta, 10th in the Eastern Conference, had seven players score in double figures and shot 54.8% from the field.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 12 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-115 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory.
Defending champion Milwaukee edged a half-game ahead of idle Philadelphia for second place in the Eastern Conference and moved within two games of first-place Miami, which lost at home to NBA-leading Phoenix.
WASHINGTON (AP) — De'Andre Hunter scored 26 points and Trae Young added 25 to help the Atlanta Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 117-114 on Friday night.
The Wizards never led, but they pulled to within one with 5.3 seconds left when Raul Neto made a 3-pointer.
ATLANTA (AP) — After leading Atlanta to back-to-back wins for the first time in almost two months, Trae Young wasn't ready to say the Hawks have regained last season's winning formula.
It's far too early to talk about a return to the Eastern Conference finals for the Hawks, who are still only 12th in the conference and on the outside of the playoff standings.
MIAMI (AP) — The stars were out in Miami. Drake was sitting courtside. Golfer Brooks Koepka had prime seats.
They came to see a show.
The Heat made them wait until the end, but they didn't disappoint.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter will undergo surgery for a right wrist injury that turned out to be worse than expected, knocking him out of the lineup for about two months.
The Hawks announced Hunter's diagnosis late Sunday after a 120-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, dealing another blow to the injury plagued forward who is one of Atlanta's key defensive players.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter continues to struggle with an ailing right knee, undergoing a nonsurgical procedure Monday to address lingering soreness...
The Latest on the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):
11:10 p.m.
Virginia is heading to the Final Four for the first time since 1984...
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The path to the Final Four will not be easy for Zion Williamson, Luke Maye, De'Andre Hunter and the other top-seeded stars in the NCAA Tournament...
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jack Salt has been content as the guy setting screens for second-ranked Virginia's best offensive players, chasing down rebounds and wrestling for post position...