Hawks secure No. 7 seed in East after holding off Heat in NBA Play-In Tournament

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The No. 7 Miami Heat tried to put together a second-half surge, but the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks held them off to win, 116-105, to kick off the NBA Play-In Tournament. 

With their victory, the Hawks have earned themselves the No. 7 seed for the first round of the playoffs. They will head to Boston this weekend to face the Boston Celtics. 

Trae Young wasn't listening to the murmur of trade rumors prior to tip-off, as he did what he does best: Lead the Hawks in postseason play. 

Young finished the game with a team-high 25 points with seven assists and eight rebounds. He shot only 8-of-18 from the field, making only one of his nine three-point attempts. But he made 8-of-9 free throws and led the offense to where they wanted to go. 

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Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball during the 2023 Play-In Tournament against the Miami Heat on April 11, 2023, at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.  (Eric Espada/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dejounte Murray was also an offensive key for the Hawks, dropping 18 points with five rebounds and six assists. 

The Hawks were able to pull away early in the game, as the Heat’s mental and physical errors on their offensive end resulted in points for Atlanta. By the end of the first quarter, the Hawks were leading 36-27 and their lead heading into the locker room up 15 after outscoring the Heat, 65-50. 

HAWKS' TRAE YOUNG GETS EJECTED FOR HARD PASS TO REFEREE

Head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t seem to have the right defensive gameplan for the Hawks, as Young looked too comfortable on the offensive end. Things could’ve been much worse, as Young only went