Miami got off to an ideal start in the first round of the playoffs, winning their first two games against Atlanta at home. Miami’s plan to suffocate Trae Young with their versatile defense worked to perfection in Game 1.
Trae had his worst playoff game in his career, ending with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. He shot 1/12 from the field and couldn’t convert any of his 7 three-point attempts. The Heat defense used a multitude of traps, switches, and double teams to throw him off his game. Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent have been used as the primary defenders against Trae throughout the series and it’s been effective. Lowry held him to 5/12 from the field and Vincent held him to just 1/7 over both games. Bogdanovic also struggled in Game 1, unable to hit any of his 8 shot attempts.
Miami’s leading scorer in Game 1 was Duncan Robinson, who came off the bench to deliver one of his most efficient games of the season. He ended with 27 points, converting 8 of his 9 threes and breaking a playoff franchise record for three-pointers made in the process. Jimmy Butler also had a very well-rounded game, producing 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Miami dominated this entire game on both ends of the court and moved on to Game 2 after a 115-91 victory.
Game 2 started a bit differently, with both teams trading buckets early on. Trae improved from his slump in Game 1 and had 18 points at halftime. As for Miami, not much was falling for them aside from a masterclass performance from Jimmy Butler. Butler had 21 points going into halftime and was even getting his threes to convert.
Despite only hitting 23.3% of his threes in the regular season, Jimmy has picked it up in the playoffs, now sitting at 55.6% through the first two games. The Hawks attempted to rally back in the fourth quarter, but an impressive run by Butler and the Heat sealed it for Miami. The Heat won 115-105 and Jimmy ended up with 45 points, breaking his career-high for points in the playoffs. The Heat now travel to Atlanta knowing that they protected their homecourt and showed what they are capable of in the postseason.
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