Atlanta heads to Miami for 2023 Play-In Tournament

The Heat, led by Jimmy Butler, host Trae Young and the Hawks for the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. Both Butler and Young have become known for elevating their games to new heights when the stakes are highest the and lights are brightest. The NBA Play-In Tournament will be no different and should make for an exciting battle between Miami and Atlanta.

The two-way star admitted that he doesn’t start trying until after the All-Star break.

He wasn’t kidding. Per Yahoo, Butler averaged 21.7 points per game to go along with six rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 51/30/85 shooting splits throughout a 44-game stretch. Following the All-Star break (20 games) he is averaging 25.6 points per game, six rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 62/48/85 shooting splits. Butler is stepping up his game while also improving on already-great efficiency.

Jimmy Butler is going to come out of the gates in attack mode and play aggressively to will his team to victory. Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 10.3 free throw attempts per game. Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter is going to have his hands full with Butler on the defensive end.

The Hawks are coming into this game having lost their last two regular-season games. That is not an ideal way to be entering a postseason matchup against one of the NBA’s most cold-blooded players. However, they have a ruthless player of their own in Trae Young.

We’ve seen Young lead a nearly-identical Atlanta roster to the Eastern Conference Finals just two seasons ago, so it would not be wise to count him and the Hawks out. Additionally, we also saw Trae Young struggle mightily in the Heat’s 4-1 first-round series victory last season.

Young averaged 15.4 points, while shooting 31.9% from the field, and averaged more turnovers per game than assists. Safe to say, it was not the best performance for Trae Young and he will surely look to exact his revenge in this game.

The Hawks have struggled on the road this season, possessing a 17-24 record in 41 games. Additionally, they have lost five of their last six games in Miami. Atlanta will need to find a way to get over their road woes if they want to have any chance in this game.

The Heat are coming into this game with momentum, having won four of their last five games. Miami plays its best basketball at home, posting a 27-14 record through 41 games. Not to mention, Butler and the Heat have had Atlanta’s number in recent meetings.

With little separating these two teams talent-wise, coaching will be the deciding factor. The Heat have established continuity under one of the best head coaches in the NBA, Erik Spoelstra. On the other hand, the Hawks are still figuring out their identity under mid-season hire Quin Snyder.

In 21 games since Snyder has been hired, the Hawks have a 10-11 record. Sub-.500 basketball is not going to get it done against a motivated Miami Heat team. With that being said, the odds are stacked up against the Hawks.

Prediction: Miami Heat defeat the Atlanta Hawks

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