Pelle Larsson didn't hold back on his recovery from a recent ankle injury following his return to the court in the Miami Heat's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Larsson is going through the second season of his NBA career with the Heat. He has seen his role grow with the team, making plenty of starts to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
However, he suffered an ankle injury against the Orlando Magic on Dec. 9. It forced him to be on the sidelines for over two weeks, missing out on the Heat's last five games.
Larsson made his return against Atlanta and didn't miss a beat. In 30 minutes of action, he finished with a stat line of 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a steal. He shot 9-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The young guard reflected on his performance after the game during a broadcast interview, via Heat Central.
“It's been frustrating watching on sideline. I've been rehabbing my ankle, but rest of my body has just been resting so I had a lot of energy to come out here and be an impact,” Larsson said.
Pelle Larsson post game on his first game back from injury 🔥
“Its been frustrating watching on sideline. Ive been rehabbing my ankle but rest of my body has just been resting so I had a lot of energy to come out here and be an impact” pic.twitter.com/fbKrpLD6RH
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 27, 2025
How Pelle Larsson, Heat played against Hawks
The Heat can have relief in having one of their quality guards back in the fold with Pelle Larsson returning. On top of that, getting a road win over their division rival Hawks was the cherry on top.
The game started out as a close one with both teams even at 32 apiece after the first quarter. However, Miami delivered big displays in the second and fourth quarters to create enough distance and keep Atlanta out of reach.
Six players scored in double-digits for Miami in the win, including Larsson. Norman Powell led the way with a stat line of 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal. He shot 9-of-16 overall, including 2-of-8 from downtown, and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Andrew Wiggins came next with 18 points and eight rebounds, Kel'el Ware put up 16 points and 13 rebounds, Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 16 points and five rebounds, while Nikola Jovic provided 10 points and seven rebounds.
Miami improved to a 16-15 record on the season, holding the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 0.5 games above the Chicago Bulls and 1.5 games above the Hawks while trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers by 0.5 games and Orlando Magic by one game.
The Heat will look forward to their next matchup, being at home. They host the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. ET before facing the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
