Heat dominate OT, beat Hawks 135-121

With just under a minute left in regulation of the Miami Heat’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young found Alex Len for a dunk to put Atlanta up 117-111. Erik Spoelstra called a timeout.

After just five seconds of game clock, Jimmy Butler found Duncan Robinson for a 3. On the other end of the court, Derrick Jones Jr. blocked a shot by DeAndre’ Bembry. Butler then made a 3 of his own. The game was tied.

In just 30 seconds, the Heat knotted the game up. And although Butler missed a potential game-winning jumper as time expired, Miami made sure to put the game away in overtime.

The Heat put on a clinic in the extra period, rattling off a 16-0 start that actually led to garbage time. And boy, was it fun.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each recorded triple-doubles, Duncan Robinson tied a Heat record with 10 3-pointers and Kendrick Nunn scored a career-high 36 points to lift Miami to 11-0 at home and 18-6 on the season.

For the third consecutive time against a sub-.500 opponent, the Heat let the opponent hang around. Miami trapped and double-teamed Young on pick-and-rolls throughout the night, and he was able to find the open teammate. The Hawks made 20 3-pointers on the night, some of which were partly due to poor defensive breakdowns from the Heat.

But Jones put forth a masterful defensive job on Young, using his length and athleticism to contain him into a frustrating 7-for-21 night. Without Justise Winslow again, Jones offered great perimeter defense.

Robinson made four 3-pointers in the first quarter, electrifying the crowd as the Heat jumped out to an early 15-point lead. It appeared that the Heat were headed for the type of blowout win that Miami racked up early in the season. But the ageless Vince Carter checked into the game and made three first-quarter 3s of his own. The game became tight — and it stayed that way until the Heat blitzed the Hawks in overtime.

Adebayo showed his offensive growth, using his quickness and explosion to get to the basket on several occasions. The third-year player recorded 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 42 minutes. The one blemish for Adebayo were his four turnovers; a few times, he miscalculated a bounce pass to a cutter that sailed out of bounds.

Nunn’s 36-point performance was a bit of a mixed bag. Miami needed that offensive production, especially with Tyler Herro going scoreless in 22 minutes of action. But too often, Nunn dominated possessions with not much ball movement. He made some tough shots, but Miami’s offense has proven that it flows better when the ball doesn’t stick to one player.

Butler finished with 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, but he was just 3-of-7 from the foul line. Butler also grew frustrated toward the end of regulation when he drove to the basket and didn’t get the foul call. But he made the right play most of the time, especially with the Robinson 3 late in regulation. Butler notched a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with 10 assists.

The Heat will host the Los Angeles Lakers Friday at 7 p.m.