Hawks defeat Heat 121-113 to win third straight

The Atlanta Hawks hosted the Miami Heat on Monday afternoon for their annual MLK Day game. The Hawks built a big lead in the first half, and were able to take the 121-113 win, moving their winning streak to three games.

Atlanta got out to a hot start in the opening quarter, scoring 38 points in the first behind a hot quarter from Trae Young. Clint Capela also returned from injury off the bench on a minutes restriction, and looked good early.

The Hawks’ offense continued full throttle in the second quarter on their way to a 70-50 halftime lead. Atlanta had four scorers in double-digits in the first half including 12 points from AJ Griffin.

Miami made their run in the third quarter, outscoring the Hawks 30-21 in the quarter and getting themselves right back into the game. The Atlanta offense had their worst quarter of the game in the third period.

The Heat made things very interesting with another strong quarter in the fourth, and trailed by just four inside the final minute. The Hawks found a way to hold on in the final minutes, though, moving on to their third straight victory.

Dejounte Murray led Atlanta, who had six scorers in double-figures, with 28 points and seven assists, while Trae Young had 24 points and eight assists (10 turnovers) in the win.

The Hawks will be back in action for their second consecutive national TV game on Wednesday when they face Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Stay tuned.