Led by Trae Young's 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, the Atlanta Hawks pushed past a division rival to advance to the NBA Playoffs with a 116-105 road win over the Miami Heat.
On a night when the Hawks did not shoot particularly well – they made just 24.4 percent of their threes and 56.1 percent of their free throws – they relied instead on other factors like passing, physicality, defense, and rebounding. Center Clint Capela, in particular, dominated the glass with 21 rebounds, including 8 on the offensive end.
"We were just the more physical team tonight," Young said. "That was a big emphasis tonight, just being more physical. That's the main thing."
Heat Head Coach Erik Spolestra praised the Hawks' ability to defend inside and out.
"With their length, it made them look like they were in two places at once," Spoelstra said. "Because for the most part, they would try to stay at home on 3-point shooters, regardless of the coverage, but it wasn't like they left the paint wide open."
While the starters treated the team to a modest lead in the first half, the bench redoubled that effort. Late in the half, the Hawks pushed out to a 24-point lead before Kyle Lowry (33 points, 5 assists) led the Heat on an 11-0 run late in the half.
All four reserves who played in the game for the Hawks scored in double figures, led by Saddiq Bey's 17 points in 33 minutes. Hawks Head Coach Quin Snyder said that Bey's willingness to shoot helped the team, as did his competitive spirit.
"He just plays hard," Snyder said. "He's going to the offensive glass. He's a competitive guy. You can never have too much of that."
Miami cut the Hawks' lead down to 5 with a 16-6 run to start the third quarter. Tyler Herro figured prominently in the Heat comeback, and the Hawks struggled to score against a set defense after Miami's made baskets. The Hawks did, however, keep pushing the pace after Heat misses.
"We played faster and didn't let them really set up on defense and get in the halfcourt," Young said. "We were playing more in attack mode and in transition, and it helped."
Trae led those transition opportunities more times than not. Heat forward Jimmy Butler (21 points, 9 assists) noted that the Heat needed to do more to stop Trae.
"I don't think we were as physical as we were supposed to be in making his decisions very hard," Butler said of Trae. "He's a hell of a player. He makes all the right reads. Obviously, he's a big-time shotmaker – and he even got 8 rebounds."
As good as Trae was, he needed help late in the game as the game's physical nature started to exact a toll. Enter Dejounte Murray, who was still a San Antonio Spur when the Hawks lost to the Heat in last season's playoffs. Murray scored 7 of his 18 points in the final 8 minutes to help clinch the win.
Murray is excited for the upcoming series against the Boston Celtics, the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference.
"I love it," he said. "You've got people that always say, 'You want to play this team' or 'You don't want to play this team'. Obviously, Boston is at the top because they went to the Finals last year, but last year was last year. For me, personally, I want the best, obviously, just being competitive and that's just how I was raised: to want to play the best. They're one of the best. It's going to be a great series."
That series starts Saturday afternoon in Boston.