MIAMI – Playing on short rest and without their starting center, the Hawks got steamrolled by the Heat, 115-91, in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series Sunday at FTX Arena.
Game 2 will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Miami.
The one small positive for the Hawks was the return of John Collins, who had been out injured since March 11 with a right ring finger sprain and right foot strain. Collins came of the bench and played 21 minutes, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, one steal and one assist.
After the loss, Collins said he felt better than expected in the game, as adrenaline took over, but is not pain-free.
“I don’t necessarily know if I’ll feel 100% anytime soon,” Collins said. “As I said, it’s more so about just understanding can I can go out there and feel comfortable, can I go out there and just hoop.”
Also on the injury front, Atlanta sorely missed Clint Capela, who hyperextended his right knee in Friday’s play-in tournament win agaisnt the Cavaliers. Starting second-year center Onyeka Okongwu (three points, seven rebounds, one block, one assist, four fouls in 20 minutes) in his place.
The Hawks were playing on short rest, having just beaten the Cavaliers in the play-in tournament Friday, while Miami hadn’t played since their regular-season finale a week ago.
Nothing went right for the Hawks in the first half, down 19 after Hawks not named Danilo Gallinari combined to shoot 7-for-30 from the floor (the Hawks as a whole shot 11-for-38 in the first half, or 28.9%, and 38.7%, or 29-for-75 overall).
Gallinari finished with a team-high 17 points, with five rebounds. De’Andre Hunter added 14 points and three rebounds. Trae Young was held to a playoff-low eight points, shooting 1-for-12 from the floor and 0-for-7 from 3-point range, going 6-for-7 from the line, with six turnovers.
He wasn’t the only one whose shooting was affected by Miami’s stout defense, with Bogdan Bogdanovic (six points, three rebounds, two assists, two turnovers) going 0-for-8 from the floor.
“I thought they were the aggressors, all night long, on both ends of the floor,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said.
The Hawks couldn’t get anything going in the second half, either, the Heat’s lead hitting 27 with 6:27 left in the third quarter after a Jimmy Butler (21 points, four assists, six rebounds, three steals) free throw. Back-to-back 3′s by Duncan Robinson (27 points, 8-for-9 from 3-point range) kept the lead at 27 at the 8:54 mark in the fourth.
Atlanta committed 18 turnovers, which led to 17 points for Miami.
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