Heat run away in second half, tune up for play-in by beating Hawks 143-117

Q: What were the key player performances in the Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks game?

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 26 points, while Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell each added 25 points for the Heat. Buddy Hield led the Hawks with 31 points.

Q: What does Miami need to do to make the playoffs after the play-in tournament?

Miami must win two road games in the play-in tournament to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Q: What was Atlanta Hawks' final record for the season?

The Atlanta Hawks finished the season with a record of 46-36, their best since the 2015-16 season.

Heat run away in second half, tune up for play-in by beating Hawks 143-117

TL;DR

The Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 143-117, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. scoring 26 points off the bench. Miami prepares for the play-in tournament needing to win two road games to reach the playoffs.

MIAMI (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. capped his sixth-man award candidacy by scoring 26 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell each scored 25 and the Miami Heat tuned up for the play-in tournament by beating the Atlanta Hawks 143-117 on Sunday night. Kel’el Ware scored 16 points for Miami, which will need to win two road play-in games to make the playoffs. The Heat pulled off that feat as the No. 10 seed entering the play-in last season. Buddy Hield scored a game-high 31 points in just 21 minutes off the bench for Atlanta, which had a playoff spot locked up going into the game. Corey Kispert scored 21 and Asa Newell finished with 17 for the Hawks. Miami ended the season with a team-record 9,911 points. The Hawks — who knew most scenarios coming into the day would have them in the No. 5 spot, though there was a chance of falling to No. 6 — decided to emphasize health and rest, so they sat Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga and Onyeka Okongwu, among others. “The focus for us has been on our guys going into the postseason healthy," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. "And after that, we’ll figure out who we’re playing and all those things when we get to the postseason.” Tony Bradley, a recent acquisition for Atlanta, made his first Hawks start. Kispert made his eighth of the season, Keaton Wallace made his third and Newell made his second. Atlanta finished 46-36, its best record since going 48-34 in 2015-16. Miami finished 43-39, ending the regular season at .500 or better for the 15th time in Erik Spoelstra's 18 seasons as head coach.