Jimmy Butler's 36 points lead Heat past Hawks without Kyle Lowry
Miami Heat fans learned prior to tip-off on Sunday that they'd be without starting point guard Kyle Lowry for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. Thanks in large part to Jimmy Butler, Miami was able to withstand the loss of Lowry and pick up a 110-86 win to go ahead of Atlanta in the best-of-seven set, 3-1.
The eighth-seeded Hawks held a slim 26-25 lead on the top-seeded Heat after one quarter on Sunday, before the visitors took control with a dominant second frame that saw them outscore their opponents 30-15.
All five Miami starters scored in double figures while just three total Atlanta players surpassed 10 points. In the loss, De'Andre Hunter scored a team-high 24 points on nine-for-13 shooting (four-for-six on three-pointers), while Kevin Knox put in 12 points in four minutes off the bench on four-for-six shooting, with all of his field goal attempts coming from distance.
Hawks point guard Trae Young struggled again, scoring just nine points on three-for-11 (three-for-10 on three pointers) in a team-high 36 minutes. Young also added five assists but had five turnovers as well.
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