Getty Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat.
Tuesday’s Play-In game didn’t go according to plan for the Miami Heat. They lost to the Atlanta Hawks in convincing fashion, 116-105, trailing by as many as 24 points in the first half.
Following the tough defeat at home, Heat center Bam Adebayo ranted to reporters that he hadn’t gotten enough touches against Atlanta.
“We have to figure out a way to get me the ball,” Adebayo said via Brendan Tobin. “Some of the guys that had it going so we have to figure out how to keep them going and get me involved.”
Bam Adebayo: We have to figure out a way to get me the ball. Some of the guys that had it going so we have to figure out how to keep them going and get me involved.
Adebayo was essentially a non-factor in the meeting with the Hawks. He finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds, while shooting 5-12 from the floor. Meanwhile, Atlanta dominated the glass, outrebounding the Heat 63-39. Of Atlanta’s total, 22 rebounds came on the offensive end.
Hawks’ Trae Young Takes Jab at Heat’s Jimmy Butler
To make matters worse for the Heat, Hawks star Trae Young took the opportunity to poke fun at Jimmy Butler, during his postgame availability.
“I know Jimmy guaranteed a dub, so I was really focused on making sure that didn’t happen,” Young said.
Trae Young:
“I know Jimmy guaranteed a dub, so I was really focused on making sure that didn’t happen.”
(h/t @ClutchPointsApp)
The former Oklahoma-standout was referencing Butler’s comments from earlier in the week, where he predicted a Miami victory.
“I’m gonna do whatever it takes for my team to win — night in and night out, and honestly, I couldn’t care less what anybody writes, if I’m a good basketball player or a bad basketball player,” Butler had said via “The Athletic’s” Joe Vardon . “So as I take on tomorrow’s matchup, and we get that dub, we’ll worry about what goes on down the line. But I think I’m gonna be a decent basketball player at the end of the day.”
After his bold prediction, Butler didn’t exactly deliver. He scored an inefficient 21 points against the Hawks, shooting just 6-of-19 from the field.
On the other side, Young filled the statsheet for Atlanta, pouring in 25 points, securing 8 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists, while shooting 8-of-18 from the floor and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Kyle Lowry Issues Statement Before Heat Fall to Hawks
One of the only bright spots for the Heat was the play of aging guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry poured in a game-high 33 points off the bench, knocking down 6-of-9 attempts from 3-point range in the process.
Just a day prior, he had discussed his commitment to helping the team win in whatever way he could.
“I mean I’m playing the position that I’m trying to help our team,” Lowry said via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “So in the sense of I’m doing whatever it helps my team to win, that’s all that really matters in that situation. I mean, I don’t really feel like anything but trying to help the team win. Honestly, at this point of the season, it really doesn’t matter. I am what I am and we are what we are.”
The Heat will have on more chance to extend their season on Friday night, when they host the winner of Wednesday’s Play-In matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. The winner take home the prize of a likely first-round sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, how exciting.
However, it would be fun to get a showdown between Lowry and his longtime team, the Raptors.