The Atlanta Hawks appeared to be hitting their stride toward the tail end of the season. They carried this momentum into the play-in games and managed to punch their tickets as the 8th seed. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they are matched up with the top-seeded Miami Heat in the first round who have played with purpose thus far. The Hawks find themselves in a 2-0 hole with the series heading back to Atlanta. The Hawks have lost the first two games by a combined 34 points, so they must look to make some changes. This Hawks team has shown to thrive under pressure so expect them to do just that in this series. Nonetheless, it's time to look at Hawks-Heat Game 3.

 

Hawks-Heat Game 3 Predictions

Hawks will Win Game 3

The Atlanta Hawks have not lived up to expectations this season following their Conference Finals run in 2021. The team had a very slow start to the season which created some serious concerns surrounding the team. They turned things around as the season progressed and possess the same key pieces from last year’s run.

The Heat made a statement in the first two games after not being given the proper respect of a typical first seed. Both of these teams play with a chip on their shoulder and this has been a hard-nosed series already. There is no NBA team that has ever been able to come back from 3-0, so a loss in this matchup would likely be a death sentence for Atlanta. If the Hawks want to have any chance in the series, they must prove it in Game 3, so expect them to find a way to win.

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Trae Young Will Score 40+

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It has been a difficult series for Trae Young.  During Game 1, Young shot just 1-12 from the field and 0-7 on three-point attempts. This was the worst shooting performance of his career. He followed up this effort by coughing up a career-high 10 turnovers in Game 2. The hounding Miami defense has frustrated Trae Young a great deal to start this series and is a major reason for the Hawks’ struggles. In total, Young has shot 11-32 (34.4%) from the field and 2-17 (11.8%) on three-point attempts this series. He also had a negative assist/TO ratio in both games which he did just once all season prior to the playoffs. It is worth noting that the singular time he did this was also against the Heat.

While the defense from Miami is legit, Trae Young is too good not to snap out of this cold spell at some point. These are unsustainably poor shooting splits and Young is too proven as a shooter not to get hot at some point. Look for the two-time all-star to do just this in Game 3 and make a more positive impact. Young typically flourishes under a hostile crowd but is likely looking forward to getting back in front of the Atlanta fans. Trae Young should be expected to break his cold spell and get back on track in Game 3.

Heat Shooting Will Cool Down

It is the scrappiness and defensive ability that is Miami’s calling card, but their offense has been impressive through two games. The Heat seemingly can’t miss and are shooting 50.3% from the field and 43.2% on three-point attempts in the first two games. Duncan Robinson lit the net on fire in Game 1 by shooting 8-9 on three-point attempts. Jimmy Butler headlined Game 2 by pouting in 45 points on 15-25 shooting.

Some of these shooting performances shouldn’t be a surprise as Miami led the NBA in three-point percentage this season at 38.1%. But the rate they are currently connecting on is impossible to last in a 7-game series. The Hawks have stayed competitive during their struggles so if the Heat cool down this could be all they need. Atlanta must make some defensive adjustments, but a good portion of Miami’s success has been out of their control.

With the series set to return to Atlanta, it could be a turning point. Led by Trae Young, this Hawks team refuses to back down so expect them to bring the fight. There also is optimism surrounding a potential return for Clint Capela. The Hawks’ big man hyperextended his knee in the final play-in game in a frightening injury. It has been confirmed that there is no structural damage and the big man has begun his return to play process. Adding Capela’s ability to catch lobs to the offense would be a major help to the Hawks. It is unclear when his return will be, but the Hawks could certainly use him on the court. Expect the Hawks to get back to their brand of basketball and pick up a win in Game 3 of this series.