The Atlanta Hawks stunned the Miami Heat in the first two quarters of their 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament game, taking a 65-50 lead into halftime. Heat veteran Udonis Haslem was seen speaking passionately to his teammates during a timeout in the second quarter as Miami's playoff hopes started to slip away.
Haslem and the Heat are hosting the Hawks with a postseason berth and the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket on the line. Despite what is at stake in the Play-In Tournament game, Miami didn't come out of the gate as if a playoff spot is up for grabs.
Udonis Haslem was TEARING INTO the Heat during this timeout 😳
The Heat are down 16 points in the second quarter 👀pic.twitter.com/ld1WExJrfb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 12, 2023
Jimmy Butler missed nine of his 12 field-goal attempts for an 11-point first half. Bam Adebayo scored six points on seven shots. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent combined to score just three first-half points.
Miami's defensive effort, however, might've been what most disappointed Haslem. The Heat surrendered 65 points, including 13 points to Trae Young. The Hawks grabbed 36 rebounds, giving them 14 more boards than the Heat. If Miami's overall effort doesn't improve, they are likely headed for an elimination game in the Play-In Tournament.
The Heat finished three games ahead of the Hawks in the standings to win the Southeastern division title. The loser of Tuesday's matchup will host one more Play-In Tournament game against either the Toronto Raptors to Chicago Bulls. The winner of that contest will earn the No. 8 seed in the East playoff bracket.
The Heat beat the Hawks in five games in their first-round playoff series last year. Miami was a heavy favorite to beat Atlanta Tuesday night.
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