In a thrilling contest, the Atlanta Hawks secured a dramatic 109-108 victory over the Miami Heat, spoiling the night dedicated to the jersey retirement of Udonis Haslem.
Dejounte Murray played the hero once again, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with just two seconds remaining to snatch the win for the Hawks.
Murray, who also delivered a game-winner in Atlanta’s previous outing against Orlando, finished the game with 22 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 17 points, Jalen Johnson added 15, and Saddiq Bey chipped in with 14 as the Hawks came from behind, trailing by four with just 35 seconds left.
For the Heat, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 25 points, but it wasn’t enough to extend their 22-game home winning streak against Southeast Division opponents, which dated back to March 2021. Bam Adebayo contributed 21 points, while Duncan Robinson had 14 and Caleb Martin added 10.
The game’s decisive moment came when the Heat failed to get a shot off on their final possession. Martin inbounded to Butler, who passed the ball back to Martin, but the buzzer sounded before they could attempt a shot.
Trae Young was sidelined due to illness
Notably, the victory marked the 400th regular-season win in the career of Atlanta’s head coach, Quin Snyder, making him the 55th coach to achieve this milestone.
The Hawks played without their star player, Trae Young, who was sidelined due to illness, missing his third game of the season. Despite Young’s absence, the Hawks managed to secure a valuable victory, improving to 2-1 in games without him.
The Heat made an adjustment by bringing Kyle Lowry off the bench for the first time this season, leading to their 23rd different starting line-up in the first 42 games of the season. Lowry had previously started in all 35 of his appearances this season.
Udonis Haslem’s jersey retirement ceremony took place at halftime, leading to a longer-than-usual break for both teams. Haslem, an iconic figure for the Heat, expressed his gratitude and emphasized the expectation of a victory from his former teammates on his special night. However, the Hawks played the role of spoilers, extending their winning streak to three games for the first time since the early weeks of November..
