Herro shines, Butler returns as Heat top Hawks

Tyler Herro scored 24 points, including a pair of go-ahead free throws with 46 seconds left, to help the Miami Heat to a 124-118 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks, extending their winning streak to four games on Friday, January 14 (Saturday, January 15, Manila time).

Herro was 7-of-16 from the field and made 4 three-pointers. He also scored 21 in Wednesday’s 115-91 win over Atlanta.

Jimmy Butler, who had missed three games with a sprained ankle, returned to get 23 points and 10 assists. PJ Tucker and Omer Yurtseven each scored 17. Max Strus added 16 points, all of them in the first quarter.

Atlanta got 24 points and 9 assists from Trae Young, 20 points from De’Andre Hunter, 18 points from Danilo Gallinari, and 16 points from John Collins. The Hawks have lost four in a row.

Miami trailed by 7 points in the fourth quarter but tied it at 114-114 on a three-pointer by Kyle Lowry. The teams exchanged baskets twice before Herro’s free throws put the Heat ahead for the first time since the second quarter.

Atlanta called timeout, but Kevin Huerter threw a poor inbounds pass that was stolen by Caleb Martin and led to Butler’s game-clinching layup with 22.3 seconds left. Atlanta committed three turnovers in the final 1 1/2 minutes.

The Heat began the game by taking a 20-8 lead and got 16 points from Strus on the way to a 40-30 lead after one quarter. Miami led by as many as 17 in the first quarter, but Atlanta’s second unit sparked a comeback and regained the lead on a three-pointer from Delon Wright at 7:22 of the second.

Atlanta’s reserves outscored the Miami subs 37-11 in the first half, 15 of those from Gallinari, and closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 70-64 lead into intermission. It was the most first-half points scored by Atlanta this season.

The Hawks built on their first-half momentum and led 99-94 after three quarters.

Both teams play again on Saturday. Atlanta returns home to play the New York Knicks and Miami hosts the Philadelphia 76ers in the second leg of a four-game homestand. – Rappler.com