Miami Heat closed their regular season in emphatic fashion, routing the Atlanta Hawks 143-117 at Kaseya Center on Sunday, April 12, 2026, in a game that tipped off at 6:00 PM ET and served as a final tune-up before the play-in tournament.
The Miami Heat Vs Atlanta Hawks Timeline produced one of the most high-scoring regular-season finales between these two Southeast Division rivals, with Miami setting a team record of 9,911 points for a single season in the process.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the way from the bench with 26 points, capping a campaign that positioned him firmly among the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year candidates, while Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell each contributed 25 points in an all-round team performance of considerable depth and quality.
Kel’el Ware added 16 points off the bench as Miami shot with efficiency throughout, building a lead that was never seriously threatened after the opening exchanges.
Atlanta arrived at Kaseya Center having already secured a playoff berth but elected to rest several key contributors, including Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga, and Onyeka Okongwu, placing the full burden of scoring on bench players and reserves.
The decision left the Hawks badly exposed, and Miami took full advantage from the opening quarter, pushing the pace and converting at a high rate from both midrange and beyond the arc.
Buddy Hield was the standout performer in a losing cause, pouring in a game-high 31 points in just 21 minutes off the bench, showing the kind of scoring burst that made him one of the league’s most dangerous reserve shooters throughout the season.
Corey Kispert added 21 and Asa Newell finished with 17, but Atlanta’s depleted roster was simply no match for a Miami side playing with full intensity ahead of a demanding play-in run.
The Heat faced a situation requiring two road wins in the play-in tournament to reach the main bracket of the NBA playoffs, having repeated their role as the No. 10 seed from the previous season when they completed the same improbable feat.
| Miami Heat Vs Atlanta Hawks Timeline — Match Overview | |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, April 12, 2026 |
| Tip-Off | 6:00 PM ET |
| Venue | Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida |
| Competition | NBA Regular Season — Final Round |
| Final Score | Miami Heat 143 – Atlanta Hawks 117 |
| Series Context | Regular season finale; Heat entering play-in tournament |
| Quarter-By-Quarter Miami Heat Vs Atlanta Hawks Timeline | Miami Heat | Atlanta Hawks |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 38 | 27 |
| Q2 | 37 | 31 |
| Q3 | 37 | 32 |
| Q4 | 31 | 27 |
| Final | 143 | 117 |
| Key Moments | Quarter | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Tip-off | Q1 | 6:00 PM ET; Miami immediately set the pace in transition |
| Hawks rest starters | Q1 | Alexander-Walker, Daniels, McCollum, Johnson, Kuminga all absent |
| Jaquez Jr. early burst | Q1 | Multiple mid-range finishes establish Miami’s bench advantage |
| Hield heats up | Q2 | Hield drops 31 in 21 minutes; career-defining bench cameo |
| Miami extend lead | Q3 | Heat push clear; Atlanta rotation visibly outmatched in third |
| Powell hits 25 | Q4 | Norman Powell adds third double-digit scorer for Miami |
| Adebayo reaches 25 | Q4 | Bam finishes with 25 on efficient shooting night |
| Record set | Q4 | Miami reach 9,911 team points — a franchise single-season record |
| Full-time | Q4 | Miami Heat 143 – Atlanta Hawks 117 |
| Top Performers | Player | Team | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Miami Heat | 26 | Off bench; Sixth Man of the Year candidate | |
| Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat | 25 | Efficient two-way performance | |
| Norman Powell | Miami Heat | 25 | Third scorer in Miami’s balanced attack | |
| Kel’el Ware | Miami Heat | 16 | Strong bench contribution | |
| Buddy Hield | Atlanta Hawks | 31 (game-high) | 21 minutes; best individual performance of the night | |
| Corey Kispert | Atlanta Hawks | 21 | Led Hawks’ makeshift rotation | |
| Asa Newell | Atlanta Hawks | 17 | Active young contributor for Atlanta |
Atlanta finished the regular season at 46-36, their best record since going 48-34 in the 2015-16 season, while risking a slide to the sixth seed in the East by resting their core players in this finale — a gamble that ultimately cost them as they dropped to that exact seeding.
Miami, meanwhile, ended on 43-39, marking the 15th time in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s eighteen seasons at the helm that the franchise finished the regular season at .500 or better.
The Heat were set to face Charlotte in the play-in tournament on Tuesday, requiring consecutive road victories to make the playoffs after completing the same remarkable feat as the No. 10 seed the previous year.