3 Reasons the Heat beat the Hawks without Herro, Butler

2. Miami's defense wrecks havoc

While the Heat lost the rebound battle 48 to 39, along with the 3-point battle 18 to 12, they were able to offset those deficits by forcing 21 Hawks turnovers.

In the second quarter alone, Miami forced 10 Atlanta turnovers, higlighted by a full court press after an Atlanta timeout that led to a five second violation.

Going against an Atlanta team with two dynamic scoring guards in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, it's key to limit their possessions while also making them uncomfortable. Miami made sure Atlanta did not see the same defensive set the entire night, with there being multiple instances where Miami fell back into a 2-3 zone.

While Murray was able to score 23 points on 56 percent shooting, Miami made Young earn his 27 points. Young was 7 for 19 from the field and also was Atlanta's leader in turnovers with five.

With their defense setting the tone, the Heat never trailed after taking a lead at the 9:28 mark of the first quarter.