Duncan Robinson dressed as a sniper this Sunday and, with an amazing eight of nine in triples and 27 points, propelled the resounding 115-91 victory of the Miami Heat against the Atlanta Hawks, to open the first round series in the best way of the NBA playoffs.
The Heat, leaders of the Eastern Conference in the regular season, completely surpassed the Hawks and annulled a Trae Young who barely scored eight points, with one of twelve shooting, in his worst game of the year.
Robinson had the best day of his career in the playoffs and was supported by Jimmy Butler’s 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.
PJ Tucker also stood out, with 16 points and four of four on three-pointers, on an afternoon in which Miami finished 18 of 38 from three-point range, to Atlanta’s 10 of 36.
The Hawks, who came to Miami in great shape after overcoming two rounds of the play-in, against Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers, crashed before the organization, the defensive power and the winning hunger of the Heat, in another masterpiece of his technician, Erik Spoelstra.
The team from Atlanta, finalist in the Eastern Conference last year, lasted a quarter against the Heat, when the game stood out, more than for the technical plays, for the intensity of the defenses and for the contacts.
The tension was evident when, after Trae Young fouled Jimmy Butler to stop a counterattack, the two stars ended up going head-to-head, prompting a double technical foul.
But the Heat quickly released the tension, while the Hawks barely managed to score forty points in the first half, shooting their worst percentages of their year (11-of-38 shooting and 2-of-18 3-point shooting).
If the 59-40 halftime was a warning, the second half became a real nightmare for the Hawks, completely sunk by an absolutely intractable Duncan Robinson.
Robinson, who had hit 3 of 4 3-pointers in the first half, went 5 of 5 in the second, including one with an added foul that sparked a four-point play.
The Heat came to have a 32-point lead and defended their margin until the final 115-91, when Trae Young was already sitting on the bench and thinking about how to change the dynamic ahead of the second game of the series, set the next Tuesday, again in Miami.
