Heat finally nail first win
GIANNIS Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat finally barge into the win column behind his 24 points and 18 rebounds in their 129-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA regular season.
ADAM HAGY/agence france-presse
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Miami Heat finally earned their first win since the start of the season and the arrival of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 on Wednesday.
The Greek two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player had been expected to immediately propel Miami into the ranks of Eastern Conference contenders, but his first victory in a Heat uniform came at the fifth time of asking.
Antetokounmpo, who had a triple-double in defeat to the Dallas Mavericks two nights earlier, again racked up impressive numbers, with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
This time he was backed up by teammates Bam Adebayo, who scored 24 with nine rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins who added 18 points.
Former Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo reached 1,000 career steals, while Adebayo became the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder, surpassing the record of 5,791 previously held by Udonis Haslem.
“I can’t really put it into words, man. I just wish I could have did it at the crib,” Adebayo said at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.
The star-packed Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from Sunday’s disappointing loss against Detroit to move to 4-1 with a 114-109 victory in a back-and-forth clash with the Indiana Pacers.