(Field Level Media) In a game marred by an injury to star Atlanta point guard Trae Young, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler defeated the visiting Hawks 112-97 last night.
Atlanta’s John Collins led all scorers with 30 points. Miami rookie Tyler Herro had 19 of his 29 points in the second quarter and Butler — making his Heat debut — added 21 points. Goran Dragic also had 21 points for Miami.
Young, who entered the game ranked second in the NBA in scoring (34.0) and tied for fifth in assists (9.0), injured his right ankle with 9.57 left in the second quarter and did not return.
After getting tangled up with Justise Winslow, Young left the court in pain and with just five points in 11 minutes. It’s the second-lowest scoring total of his pro career.
Shortly after the injury, the Hawks announced Young sustained a sprained right ankle and would not return to the game. ESPN reported that X-rays taken immediately after Young left the court were negative and that the team is optimistic the injury is not serious. According to the report, Young will undergo an MRI exam soon. Atlanta trailed 36-31 when Young got hurt and couldn’t adequately compete without him, scoring a season-low 97 points.
Butler, Miami’s biggest offseason acquisition, missed the Heat’s first three games following the birth of his daughter. But on the first touch of his Heat career, Butler drove and scored on a layup. He had 12 points 4-for-4 shooting in the first quarter.
Collins, who played his high school ball locally at Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach, made 10 of 17 shots from the floor, including 5 of his 8 on 3-pointers.
Miami was without forward Derrick Jones (groin injury). Heat shooting guard Dion Waiters, who was suspended by the team for Miami’s opener, and forward James Johnson (conditioning) have still not played this season.
The Heat led 29-26 after the first quarter. Young had the first scoreless quarter of his season, missing his only two shots. Collins kept Atlanta in the game with a 12-point quarter, going 4-for-5 on 3-point shots, but Butler and Dragic (nine points) helped Miami to the lead.
The Heat, using an 11-0 run that began midway through the second quarter, extended their lead to 59-49 at halftime, and stretched it to 88-70 after three quarters.
Atlanta, which never led by more than two points, never got closer than 11 in the fourth quarter.
