Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in his first victory with the Miami Heat, helping the team defeat the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 on Wednesday night. The win snapped a four-game skid for Miami, which had lost its first four games after acquiring Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee in the offseason.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised his team's resilience following the 0-4 start, emphasizing the importance of maintaining spirit despite early-season adversity. "Nobody was hanging their heads," Spoelstra said. "This one game is not all we're looking for. Obviously we're trying to build something much bigger than that."
Antetokounmpo's 138 points in his first five games with the franchise set a new team record. Bam Adebayo also made history, becoming the Heat's all-time leader in rebounds by passing Udonis Haslem. Adebayo, who grabbed nine rebounds in the game, now has 5,794 career rebounds, surpassing Haslem's mark of 5,791 set over 20 seasons.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points, while Pelle Larsson contributed 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Miami, which shot 53% from the field and scored 70 points in the paint.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing