Jimmy, Dipo & Caleb strong performances help secure back to back wins against Hawks 130-128

20+ points scored on strong efficiency from Butler, Oladipo and Martin.

The Miami Heat completed the back to back set of games in Miami against the Atlanta Hawks on the best note possible last night. They defeated Atlanta 130-128 on route to back to back wins, the first time they have been able to reach that feat since the All-Star break. Miami improves to 35-31 on the season and get a little breathing room from the Hawks in the standings as they now have a 2.5 game lead separating the 7th seed Heat and the 8th seed Hawks. The Heat are still 2.5 back from the 6th seeded Brooklyn Nets.

The two things that are most notable takeaways from the game was 6 players reaching double digits in scoring and the 3 point shooting. As a team the Heat nailed 16 triples on a more than solid 55.2% shooting from downtown. When those 3 balls are falling, this Miami Heat team reaches another gear. Everything just flows so much more naturally, and one of the bigger things to note specifically with the 3 point shooting is Duncan Robinson. He made 3 out of his 4 attempts from that area, and tallied 14 points in just 17 minutes off the bench.

Robinson looked fluid and mobile out there. Not only were his shots falling but he was creating some offense whenever the defender would close out on him. Nothing was forced, as he read the defense beautifully in the limited minutes he had. He had a couple nice passes to Bam Adebayo specifically, who also made his imprint on the game.

Adebayo did a little bit of everything, as he usually does with his elite versatility on both ends of the floor. The second member of Miami’s core three in Tyler Herro struggled with shooting most of the night. However, as he often does, Herro found a way to make an impact in the clutch. He had two big time 3 balls in the 4th quarter and was able to respond after missing some shots early that he usually makes.

Miami’s leading man was none other than Mr.Buckets himself, Jimmy Butler. His 26 point near triple double performance lead this team to victory. He was getting to all his spots, scored the ball efficiently and was aggressive getting to the free throw line. Butler finished going an impressive 8/14 from the field and 10/12 from the charity stripe. Most importantly though, he made some clutch shots himself down the stretch.

A lot of Heat wins end up coming down to an X-factor, or two, outside of their core guys. Miami had two of those guys last night off the bench in Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin. Both of them brought a much needed spark into the game and each dropped 20+ points on strong shooting percentages.

Oladipo had that burst that NBA fans are so accustomed to seeing, and was able to penetrate into the lane and create some offense for himself but also others at points. The most noticeable stat in the box score from Dipo was his 3 point shooting. He is a very streaky shooter, but when that shot is falling he winds up being a very effective player that makes the team look better off the bench. He was 4/7 from 3 point range.

Martin was just as impressive, as he had plenty of his own moments during last nights game himself. Martin shot an outstanding 6/9 from the field, including 2/2 from 3 with one of those being a huge corner triple in crunch time. Martin was also effective at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line where he went 7/8.

He absolutely went off in the 2nd quarter offensively and immediately brought that spark into the game when Miami needed it the most being down double digits at the time. Having a role player like Martin come off the bench makes this Heat team much more deep, and Martin is a player that naturally just looks better in a bench role.

Not to say he hasn’t had performances like this as a starter because he has, but it just looks more fluid overall when he plays as a reserve. His game is very entertaining to watch, he has that athletic bounce to his step and is a huge threat to opposing teams when attacking the rim.

Not only were Oladipo and Martin great offensively, but they both showed their two-way talent and locked up on the defensive end as well. Martin had a big steal from Trae Young in the closing minute of the game.

Overall, it was a strong effort by the entire team. Everyone who played had some sort of positive impact on the court, and Miami found a way to gut out back to back wins after losing 6 of their last 7 prior to the Hawks match ups in disappointing fashion.

Miami will look to continue this success with another couple of back to back games against an Eastern Conference contender in the Cleveland Cavaliers. They come to Miami tomorrow night with tip off set for 7:30 PM ET.