NBA: Jimmy Butler scores 36, Heat ground Hawks for 3-1 lead
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts after hitting a three-point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round at State Farm Arena on April 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Jimmy Butler posted 36 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals as the Miami Heat defeated the host Atlanta Hawks, 110-86, on Sunday night in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Miami leads the best-of-7 series, 3-1. The Heat can clinch the series on Tuesday night in Miami.
Article continues after this advertisementHawks star Trae Young, who led the NBA this season in total points and assists, had a quiet night. Young finished with nine points and five assists, and he was charged with five turnovers. He shot just 3-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-10 on 3-pointers.
The Hawks were led by De’Andre Hunter, who scored 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.
Heat star Tyler Herro scored just three points on 1-for-8 shooting. But the Heat got 14 points each from P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo.
Article continues after this advertisementMiami played without starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 3. Lowry was replaced by Gabe Vincent, who posted 11 points and four assists.
Starting center Clint Capela returned for Atlanta, posting two points and seven rebounds. He had been out since suffering a right-knee injury on April 10 in a play-in game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hunter led Atlanta to a 26-25 first-quarter lead. Hunter had a quarter-high 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting, including 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.
With 16 seconds left in the first quarter, Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu made a spectacular block on Butler, forcing a jump ball.
The second quarter featured a 9-0 Hawks run, giving them a 35-27 lead. But Miami answered with a 15-0 stretch, taking a 55-41 lead into halftime.
Jimmy Butler (19 PTS) turned up the HEAT in the first-half ♨
MIA 55 | ATL 41
19 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL for Jimmy#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel on TNT pic.twitter.com/XLTXSuccYo— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2022
In the third quarter, Tucker was charged with a technical foul after he jostled with Okongwu.
Even so, the Heat stretched their lead to 80-61 by the end of the third quarter.
Miami cruised in the fourth quarter, and the Heat finished with a 48-26 edge in paint points for the game.
The Heat, charged with just seven turnovers in the game, shot 43.5 percent from the floor, including 13-for-42 on 3-pointers (31.0 percent).
Atlanta shot 40.0 percent from the floor, including 15-for-42 on 3-pointers (35.7 percent).
