Miami Heat become the first 10th place team to advance out of the NBA’s play-in tournament as playoff field is set | CNN
Updated 2:06 PM EDT, Sat April 19, 2025
CNN
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The NBA playoff picture came into full focus Friday night with the final two games of the play-in tournament.
The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Eastern Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best record in the regular season, knocked off the Atlanta Hawks with a 123-114 overtime win to become the No. 8 seed in the East.
In the Western Conference, it was the Memphis Grizzlies pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to take the eighth seed in the West.
In the first game of the night the Heat rolled into Atlanta looking for a second straight do-or-die win after defeating the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday in their first play-in game.
The Heat caught the Hawks flat-footed, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half.
The Hawks shook off a poor shooting performance early in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, sparked by some clutch shooting from guard Trae Young. It was a driving lay-up from Young that tied the game at 106 with just a second left on the clock to force overtime.
Heat reserve guard Davion Mitchell took over in the extra period with a trio of 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks single-handedly in overtime. Mitchell scored nine of his 16 points in OT.
The Heat’s Tyler Herro led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, while Young had a team-high 29 points for Atlanta.
With the win, the Heat slide into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and become the first 10th place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. Miami will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round series beginning Sunday.
In Friday’s nightcap, the Grizzlies were not about about to let Dallas become the second 10th place team to advance, as Memphis dealt the Mavericks a decisive defeat.