MIAMI (AP) – Bam Adebayo scored 30 points and the Miami Heat held Trae Young to a season-low eight points in a 117-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks yesterday.
Tyler Herro added 20 points, while Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin finished with 15 apiece for the Heat, who extended their lead over the Hawks to one and a half games for seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Young was two for 13 from the field. It was Young’s 17th game under double figures in his career.
Miami won for only the second time in the last eight and recovered from a two-point loss against the New York Knicks on Saturday on Julius Randle’s three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left.
“I think the very best thing for us coming off a game like that is play the next night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Hawks are 1-2 under new coach Quin Snyder, who took over last Tuesday.
Down 21 midway through the third quarter, Atlanta rallied and got to 108-103 on De’Andre Hunter’s jumper with 4:39 remaining. But Miami responded with seven unanswered, capped by Martin’s dunk with 2:44 left.
“We didn’t get as many good shots late and that’s something that we haven’t had in that situation the time I have been here, which hasn’t been very long,” Snyder said. “It’s something we will improve on.”
Adebayo shot 10 for 12 from the field and the free throw line and had 10 rebounds. He also finished with five assists.
“Obviously, you’ve seen the many different ways to score or get somebody open,” Adebayo said. “And obviously, me and Coach having that trust between each other that I can be aggressive and take shots.”
