Hawks Clinch 7-Seed, Winner of Bulls-Raptors Set to Face Heat
The Atlanta Hawks went into the Miami Heat’s building and punched them in the month.
Up by as much as 24 at one point, Trae Young dropped 25 points with 7 assists to help his team beat the Heat 116-105 and clinch the 7 seed. The Hawks’ bench also had a superb night, bullying the Heat’s reserves and scoring 53 points. Each member of the second unit cracked double digits.
For an organization known for its hard-nosed and disciplined play, it was somewhat shocking to see Miami struggle so much to keep up with the Hawks’ speed and physicality. Atlanta ended up out-rebounding Miami a staggering 63-39, winning the offensive rebounding battle 22-6. Clint Capela finished with 21 of his team’s rebounds (8 on the offensive glass).
The Hawks will now go on to face the Boston Celtics next week. As for Miami, they’ll have one more chance to clinch a first-round series on Friday night against the loser of Chicago and Toronto.
Indeed, if the Bulls are able to take down the Raptors tomorrow night, they’ll get to match up against a squad they’ve gone 3-0 against so far this season. Of course, that isn’t to say we should underestimate Jimmy G. Buckets and Co. (especially when they have a chip on their shoulder), but the Bulls have proven they have what it takes to hang with this Heat squad.
We’ll know if they get the chance to prove that again in less than 24 hours.
For more on the Bulls Play-In matchup against the Raptors, check this out:
