Heat’s defense shuts down Trae Young as Hawks drop playoff opener

AP photo by Lynne Sladky / Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young dribbles while guarded by the Miami Heat's Gabe Vincent during their Eastern Conference playoff series opener Sunday in Miami. Young shot 1-for-12 and scored eight points as the Hawks lost 115-91. AP photo by Lynne Sladky / Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young dribbles while guarded by the Miami Heat's Gabe Vincent during their Eastern Conference playoff series opener Sunday in Miami. Young shot 1-for-12 and scored eight points as the Hawks lost 115-91.

By TIM REYNOLDS / The Associated Press April 17, 2022 4 min read

MIAMI – Duncan Robinson couldn’t miss shots. Trae Young couldn’t make shots.

In simplest terms, that’s how Game 1 went for Miami and Atlanta.

Robinson came off the bench to set a franchise playoff record with eight 3-pointers, and the top-seeded Heat forced Young into matching the worst shooting game of his NBA career on the way to a 115-91 win over the eighth-seeded Hawks in the opener of an Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday.

“It’s always nice to throw the first punch,” Robinson said. “But in the grand scheme of things, it’s just winning one game.”

Robinson scored 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting – his miss was from 3-point range – and was joined in double-digit scoring by teammates Jimmy Butler (21 points), P.J. Tucker (16) and Kyle Lowry (10).