From the moment Omari Spellman’s name was shouted to the rafters by Ryan Cameron, the Atlanta Hawks had a different energy about them on Saturday night at State Farm Arena. Notorious for their slow starts this season, the Hawks were firing on all cylinders in the opening period of their Southeast division tilt against the Miami Heat, scoring 41 points in the first 12 minutes en route to a 123-118 victory, the Hawks’ third in their first nine games of the 2018-19 season.
Spellman entering the starting lineup was a surprise to just about everybody outside of head coach Lloyd Pierce, Spellman, and Vince Carter, whom the rookie big man out of Villanova replaced on the court to open the proceedings.