Powell’s Scoring Effort Pushes Heat Past Hawks

Norman Powell scored 25 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 126–111 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, extending Atlanta’s losing streak to five games. The win helped Miami recover from a recent slump and move back above the .500 mark for the season. Pelle Larsson contributed a career-high 21 points for the Heat, while Kel’el Ware recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds in place of Bam Adebayo, who missed the game due to a back injury. Andrew Wiggins added 18 points, and Jamie Jaquez Jr. scored 16 off the bench. Despite missing Tyler Herro for the eighth consecutive game because of a toe injury, Miami controlled much of the contest. Atlanta was led by Trae Young, who finished with 30 points and seven assists. Jalen Johnson nearly posted a triple-double, recording 24 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. However, the Hawks struggled to keep pace defensively, particularly in the second half.

One of the game’s defining moments came early in the fourth quarter when Wiggins stole an inbounds pass, saved the ball from going out of bounds, and finished the play with a reverse layup to increase Miami’s lead. Later in the quarter, a 9–0 run capped by an acrobatic layup from Powell pushed the advantage to 17 points and effectively sealed the win. Miami dominated the rebounding battle 52–42 and forced 21 turnovers while committing only 12 of their own. The extra possessions resulted in 19 more field goal attempts for the Heat. Atlanta fell to 5–10 at home, making them the only NBA team with a winning road record but a losing home record. The Heat will host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, while the Hawks return home to face the New York Knicks in the second game of a back-to-back.