The Hawks wanted to see what some of the other players in training camp could do Monday night. After playing the top eight players on the roster for three quarters Saturday, the Hawks rested them.
Even with the Heat playing many of their rotational guys, the Hawks limited them enough.
Quick stats: Hawks rookie Asa Newell scored 19 points, adding eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks in his State Farm Arena debut.
Here are some observations.
Turning point
Neither team wanted to go away despite the end result of the matchup not counting toward the regular-season record.
But the Hawks overcame a 7-0 run from the Heat that appeared to seal their fate early in overtime.
The Hawks played to the buzzer, with Lamont Butler and Caleb Houstan, both on Exhibit 10 contracts, drawing fouls on back-to-back plays, forcing the Heat to call a timeout.
Then the Hawks produced on the defensive end, forcing a loose ball in the halfcourt before finding Houstan for a 3 that put them up 119-118.
Highlight play
When the Heat tried to get out in transition near the end of the first quarter, Hawks forward Eli Ndiaye had a different idea.
Heat forward Bam Adebayo launched an outlet pass to teammate Pelle Larsson, but Ndiaye covered to meet him in the paint. As Larsson went up for the dunk, Ndiaye went up with him and emphatically blocked the shot.
The Hawks converted the block on the other end with a layup from Jacob Toppin.
What they said
“Yeah, I think obviously it’s a game of runs and stuff like that. So, they kind of went on that run. Obviously those free throws kind of helped us out with that.” — Caleb Houstan on the consecutive plays that sparked the Hawks push.
Up next
The Hawks conclude the exhibition season on Thursday when they host the Rockets. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
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