A brief recap of the Hawks’ second straight win, which completed a 4-0 sweep of the Heat and clinched the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference:
How the game was won: For the first time in a few weeks, the Hawks played with something approximating their winter form as DeMarre Carroll scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half and Atlanta toyed with the Heat from start to finish. Dennis Schroder added a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists.
Paul Millsap added 11 of his 21 points over the first two quarters, when Atlanta shot 50 percent (19-of-38) to take a 55-37 lead on his buzzer-beating 18-foot jumper. Then, the Hawks heated up, making 14-of-17 shots (82.4 percent) in the third quarter to expand their lead.
Turning point: Schroder, starting at point guard as Jeff Teague took the night off with a sprained left ankle, hit a 7-foot floater to open the game's scoring, and the Hawks never trailed nor were tied.
Number: 0. The Hawks' magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed in the East is nil as their win and the Cavs' loss to the Nets sealed the deal.
Next: The Hawks will play at Charlotte Saturday night.
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