Hawks face 3-1 deficit after being blown out by Heat 110-86 in Game 4

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat met in a crucial Game 4 on Sunday evening, with the Hawks looking to even the series at 2-2 with another win at home. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they were no match for the Heat in this game. Miami took Game 4 comfortable with a 110-86 win, dominating the Atlanta offense over the final three quarters.

The Hawks got starting center Clint Capela back in the lineup for this one, and his presence was notable right away. Capela picked up five rebounds in the first quarter and moved around the floor well.

Atlanta led the Heat 26-25 after the opening quarter, with De’Andre Hunter scoring 11 points in the first.

The Hawks fell apart offensively in the second quarter, shooting just 5-of-22 from the floor in the period. Miami closed the first half on a 26-4 run, taking a 55-41 lead into the break. Jimmy Butler led the way with 19 points in the first half, as he continues to give Atlanta issues.

Atlanta was unable to make up any ground in the third quarter despite starting out the period on an 11-5 run. The Heat led 80-61 heading into the fourth quarter as the Hawks suffered another brutal quarter on the offensive end. Atlanta scored just 35 total points between the second and third quarters combined.

The Hawks further unraveled in the fourth quarter, as Miami pulled away with the blowout win. Butler led all scorers with 36 points to go with his 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. All five Heat starters scored in double-digits.

Young struggled immensely in the loss for the Hawks, scoring just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting with five turnovers. Hunter led the team with 24 points, but it wasn’t a particularly good showing for the young forward outside of the first few minutes when he came out hot.

Young appeared to come up slow with a left foot issue early in the game, but it’s unclear at this point if that was a big factor in his struggles. Miami’s defense was again suffocating as a whole in this one, as they held the Hawks to just 26 points in the paint, and 18 PITP through three quarters.

Atlanta will now face a 3-1 deficit as the series returns to Miami on Tuesday evening for Game 5.

Stay tuned.