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).
But this performance wasn't about offense for Miami, which played for the first time in a week after closing the regular season with a meaningless loss that ended a six-game winning streak. This was about defense - so much so that even Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, a former point guard, spent some possessions in a defensive stance, clapping his hands and imploring his team to dig a little bit deeper on that end of the court.
"You have to be on edge," Spoelstra said.
The edge, for Miami, was razor sharp. Young went 1-for-12, matching the career worst the two-time All-Star point guard recorded against the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 23, 2019, during his rookie season.
"You've got to give them credit," Young said. "They came out aggressive."
Danilo Gallinari led Atlanta with 17 points, De'Andre Hunter scored 14 and John Collins added 10. Collins returned from foot and finger injures to play for the first time in 19 games - he was 4-for-6 in 21 minutes - with the Hawks needing extra depth inside with Clint Capela out with a right knee injury.
The best-of-seven series continues Tuesday night in Miami. It will be the fourth game in seven days for Atlanta, which had to win a pair of play-in matchups to reach the NBA playoffs, including Friday in Cleveland. The Hawks didn't settle in Miami until around 3 a.m. Saturday, and Sunday's game tipped off at 1 p.m.
"I thought Miami played at another level," Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. "We talked about that in our locker room, that in the playoffs, there's another level you have to get to. ... They showed us tonight there's another level we have to get to in order to compete in these playoffs."
AP photo by Lynne Sladky / The Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler drives to the basket between Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, left, and forward John Collins during Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday in Miami.Robinson broke the Heat's playoff record of seven 3s he previously shared with Damon Jones and Mike Miller.
As he sizzled, the Hawks fizzled.
Young - who faced everything from traps to full-court pressure - was 0-for-7 from 3-point range and finished with eight points, a season low. Bogdan Bogdanovic missed all eight of his shots, and the Hawks never led outside of a brief edge in the opening minutes.
Butler revealed Miami's game plan when it comes to guarding Young: "Just make it physical on him, challenge every shot, keep him off the free throw line and make him pass."
It worked Sunday.
"I'm very confident we're going to turn this around," Young said.
Atlanta's run to the Eastern Conference title round last year included a 3-0 mark in playoff series openers - all on the road - by two, four and three points. That was then.
This was a one-sided affair by halftime. The Heat set the tone by forcing Atlanta into a 1-for-11 start from the field - free throws were the only thing keeping the game close for much of the first half - and Miami took a 59-40 lead into the break.
A 3-pointer from Kevin Huerter early in the second quarter got Atlanta within 26-20. A 15-6 Heat run, capped by a 3 from Lowry, pushed the lead to 41-26, and another 3 from Lowry later in the quarter made it 53-34.
Gallinari made a 3 to open the second half, getting the Hawks within 16 - and that was as close as they got. Miami controlled the rest of the third quarter, turning things into a complete runaway.
It was 86-60 entering the fourth, the Hawks managing only one more point through 36 minutes than Miami had through 24, and the outcome was decided. A four-point play from Robinson with 8:54 left was probably the official end to all Atlanta hope as Heat fans waved their white rally flags in earnest, their team on its way to a playoff win in Miami for the first time since 2016.