MIAMI — The Hawks rested their starters on Sunday, opening up minutes for some different faces. Facing the Heat’s main rotational players, the Hawks put up a good fight but ultimately fell 143-117.
The game ended up playing a role in where the Hawks would end up in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
With the Raptors beating the Nets and the Magic falling to the Celtics, the Hawks finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed and will take on the Knicks in the first round.
Quick stats: Buddy Hield went on a heater early and ended the day with 31 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting from deep. Corey Kispert scored 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3. Asa Newell had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Key moment
Buddy Hield checked into the evening’s matchup and gave the Hawks a big boost from 3-point range. Hield has logged 30 total minutes in a Hawks uniform.
But he made the most of Sunday’s action
He checked in with 2:47 to play in the first quarter and made a 3, two minutes later. He scored 16 points in 12 minutes in his stint in the first half. He scored 12 of those points in five minutes where he knocked down 4-of-5 shots from 3.
Highlight play
The future looks bright for the Hawks, who played with all the ball movement that led to success for the club this season.
So it’s no surprise that Hawks two-way guard Keshon Gilbert found Newell for a dunk. The two have connected on plenty of lobs in College Park with the Skyhawks, the Hawks’ G League franchise.
With under one minute to play in the second half, Gilbert found Newell on a roll to the basket. Newell went up and finished with a two-handed flush.
What they said
“Me, as competitor, I can work every day, come support these guys and to make the next step. And they’ve been doing that. You know, to me to go out there, as a competitive as I am, just keep trying to make the jump, being the capable player I know that I am, each night I just have to prove myself, and keep reminding people that I’m still here. I’m still available.
“Yes, of course, I do want to play, but these guys have grown tremendously and make a name for themselves. Made a name for this team, and I’m just happy to go out there again and I play basketball.” -- Hield on his big night.
“It was still an adjustment. I haven’t played that many minutes since November, yeah, November, December of an NBA game. So yeah, the times I did play is no more than 15 minutes.” -- Hawks center Tony Bradley on his extended run.
Up next
The Hawks’ will visit New York to take on the Knicks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Game 1 is Saturday at 6 p.m.
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