ATLANTA — The Miami Heat has leaned on its defense to make up ground in the standings in recent weeks, but that usually reliable defense was a no-show in Monday’s first half.
That proved to be too much to overcome, as the Heat rallied from a 26-point second-quarter deficit to make it a game that was decided in the final seconds but still fell to the Atlanta Hawks 121-113 on Monday afternoon at State Farm Arena to open a three-game trip.
The Heat, which entered with wins in 12 of its last 17 games, allowed the Hawks to enter halftime with a 20-point lead behind an incredible shooting display.
Atlanta scored 70 points on 66.7 percent from the field and 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) shooting from three-point range in the first two quarters.
The first half was especially ugly for the Heat. The Hawks scored 70 points on 66.7 percent from the field and 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) shooting from three-point range to enter halftime ahead by 20.
But the Heat did not go away with making a second-half push, opening the third quarter on a 25-12 run to cut the deficit to seven points with 3:37 left in the period.
That run allowed the Heat to enter the fourth quarter within striking distance, trailing 91-80, despite its nightmarish start to the game.
The Heat’s push continued in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to just four points with 34.3 seconds to play.
It was too late, though, as the Hawks closed the game on a 4-0 run to seal the win.
It didn’t help that the Heat committed a five-second violation trailing by six points with 25.4 seconds to play that essentially erased any remaining hopes it had at completing the comeback.
The Hawks were led by guard Dejounte Murray, who finished with 28 points. Atlanta star guard Trae Young closed with 24 points but also committed 10 turnovers
The Heat wasted a stellar performance from star Jimmy Butler, who finished with 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field.
Heat center Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
The Heat continues the trip on Wednesday against the Pelicans in New Orleans.
Five takeaways from the Heat’s loss to the Hawks on Monday:
— The Heat’s defense has been among the NBA’s best this season, and it has been especially good over the last month. But the first half was a rough one for the unit.
Whether the Heat played man or zone, the Hawks seemed to have an answer.
The Hawks’ offense was very comfortable early, totaling 38 points on 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) shooting from the field, 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) shooting from three-point range and 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) shooting from the foul line in the first quarter.
The Hawks continued to shred the Heat’s defense in the second quarter with 32 points on 14-of-20 (70 percent) shooting from the field and 4-of-5 (80 percent) shooting from three-point range in the period.
By halftime, the Hawks had 70 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field and 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) shooting from deep to enter the break with a 20-point lead.
The Heat’s defense stabilized in the second half, but it was too late.
This type of performance is uncharacteristic for the Heat, which entered Monday with the NBA’s seventh-best defensive rating (allowed 110.9 points per 100 possessions) this season. Miami also posted the league’s second-best defensive rating (allowed 109.8 points per 100 possessions) during its 12-5 run that preceded Monday’s loss.
— It’s been an up-down-season that has included more than a few disappointing losses for the Heat, but it hasn’t included many blowout losses.
The Heat has played in the second-most clutch games (one that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter) this season at 30. That means plenty of close wins and close losses.
Monday was another clutch loss despite trailing by as many as 26 points.
The Heat only has five double-digit losses this season. For perspective, the team with the NBA’s best record, the Boston Celtics, has six double-digit defeats this season.
— Heat starting point guard Kyle Lowry missed his fourth straight game, but the fact that he even traveled with the team for this trip is a positive sign that his return could come soon.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra confirmed as much, but stopped short of speculating on a possible return date for Lowry, who is dealing with left knee discomfort.
“I don’t want to give a date to it,” Spoelstra said a few hours before Monday’s game in Atlanta. “But certainly the fact that he’s on the trip shows that he’s still going to be on that day-to-day protocol and we’ll just have to continue to let him and the trainers do their work. Eventually one of these days, he’ll be ready to go.”
But at least one source familiar the situation believes that Lowry’s return will come this week. The Heat has two games remaining on the trip — Wednesday against the Pelicans and Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Along with missing Lowry, the Heat was without Nikola Jovic (lower back stress reaction), Duncan Robinson (finger surgery) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle surgery) against the Hawks.
The Heat also made forward Jamal Cain inactive for Monday’s game in order to save one of his two-way contract days.
— Despite Lowry’s absence, the Heat continues to get healthier as two starters made their returns on Monday.
Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin were back in their usual starting spots against the Hawks after missing time with injuries. Herro missed the previous three games with left Achilles soreness and Martin missed the previous five games with a left quadriceps strain.
The Heat entered Monday with the second-most missed games in the NBA (185 missed games) this season due to injury, according to Spotrac.
— The Heat-Hawks matchup was part of the NBA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day lineup.
It marked the 17th time that the Heat has played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including the sixth consecutive season. With Monday’s victory, the Heat has won four straight games on the holiday.
“I think it’s a great day of reflection and celebration and hopefully it always continues into action,” Spoelstra said when asked about the significance of the day. “I know I always think if [Martin Luther King Jr.] was still living, what would he do in today’s time right now to really try to drive change and what would he think about where we all are? I know he would see progress, for sure. But there’s still a long way to go. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and we all need to be a part of it.”
