The Atlanta Hawks Summer League team saw its first action against the Miami Heat on Friday afternoon. To Hawks fans, it would be safe to say that the Hawks have a stacked roster in Las Vegas, and there are many players to look forward to watching over the next week.
One of those players is the Hawks’ first-round draft pick, Asa Newell, and he came out to start the game with a 3-pointer.
Another player who fans are looking forward to watching, and one who had a strong start to the game, was Kobe Bufkin. The third-year guard followed Newell with his own 3-pointer, and then got an and-one to go later.
The Hawks built a lead early in the quarter, and Jacob Toppin added to it with this turnaround jumper.
The Heat started to get into a rhythm late down the stretch of the quarter and ended up tying the game at one point. The Hawks were able to get some buckets to go late, and they went into the second quarter leading 29-25.
It was the Nikola Djurisic quarter, as the guard came in and made plays on offense, getting to his spots in the paint and the mid-range. The Heat did not let go of the rope, and a string of 3-pointers from Kasparas Jakucionis and Javonte Cook got them back into the game, and they were also able to take the lead.
Newell and Jack McVeigh made some shots with less than a minute remaining in the first half to tie the game at 52 going into halftime.
It was a back-and-forth third quarter for both teams, as neither one got a big lead over the other. The highlight of the quarter came midway through the period, when Eli John N’Diaye got a big block in transition.
The Hawks did not have the best offensive stretch to end the third, which led the Heat to go on a run and lead 76-68 going into the fourth.
The offensive struggles continued in the fourth for the Hawks, but they were able to knock down a few shots to keep their deficit within 10 points. Bufkin came alive midway through the quarter and scored nine points straight for the team to bring their deficit down to just three points. Toppin then was able to score five points straight to give the Hawks the lead.
With less than two minutes remaining and the game tied, N’Diaye hit a 3-pointer to give the Hawks the lead. They were able to get a stop down on defense, and then Bufkin got fouled and knocked down both of his free throws to give the Hawks a five-point lead with 53.8 seconds left.
The Hawks were able to make enough plays from there to secure the win.
Bufkin finished the game with 29 points, and Toppin finished with 19 points.
The Hawks will be back in action against the Suns on Sunday.
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