Giannis finally gets a Heat win, and Miami pounds Atlanta for 70 paint points

It took five games, but Giannis Antetokounmpo has a win with the Miami Heat. He had 24 points and 18 rebounds on Wednesday night as Miami beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 at State Farm Arena.

The Heat had lost their first four games after acquiring Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee in the offseason, according to the Associated Press. On Wednesday they finally played the way the trade was supposed to make them play, which is straight at the rim.

Miami scored 70 points in the paint, the AP said, and shot 53% from the field. Antetokounmpo went 11 of 18, and Bam Adebayo matched him with 24 points to go with nine rebounds. Adebayo also passed Udonis Haslem to become the Heat's career leader in rebounds.

The help showed up too. Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points and went 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Pelle Larsson had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 14 off the bench. Miami finished with 36 assists on 51 made shots, the ESPN box score shows.

The Heat set the tone early, making 15 of 23 shots in the first quarter to lead 34-25. They were up 69-56 at halftime, and Hardaway's 3-pointer late in the third quarter made it 95-77, their biggest lead.

There is still a warning sign. Antetokounmpo went 2 of 5 at the free-throw line, and Miami was 16 of 23 as a team.

For Atlanta, rookie Kingston Flemings and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each scored 23 points. Jalen Johnson shot 4 of 12 and finished with 12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. The Hawks have lost three in a row after opening 2-0 and are 2-3.

The other side of the trade is not doing much better. Milwaukee lost 132-100 at home to unbeaten Houston on Wednesday night and is 1-4, the same record as Miami.

Atlanta has no time to regroup. The Hawks host Cleveland on Thursday night in the second half of a home back-to-back, with the start pushed back an hour so State Farm Arena can host Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between Atlanta and Golden State in the afternoon, according to the AP. Miami hosts Indiana on Friday.