Miami Heat Stun Atlanta Hawks to Reach NBA Playoffs
In a thrilling Eastern Conference play-in clash, the Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 in overtime, securing a spot in the NBA playoffs. According to a report by Fox Sports, Tyler Herro scored 30 points to lead the Heat to victory.
The Heat, who recovered from a 10-game losing streak in March to reach the play-in, will now face top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs. This marks a significant achievement for the team, as they become the first tenth-seed to reach the NBA playoffs via the play-in. Notably, they achieved this feat via two wins on the road, having also won in Chicago on Thursday.
As reported by Fox Sports, the Heat dominated the opening half, leading by 17 points before going in 62-53 up at the interval. However, the Hawks fought back superbly, taking the lead 91-88 with 7:36 left. Atlanta then opened up a 98-92 advantage before Miami came back again. Trae Young levelled the game with 1.1 seconds remaining after a driving lay-up.
The Heat saved their best for last, with Davion Mitchell making three three-pointers in overtime and Herro adding two more. This stunning performance sealed the win for Miami, but also brought heartbreak for Atlanta and Australian Dyson Daniels, who is a Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player candidate.
The Cavaliers will start as heavy favourites in the best-of-seven series, which gets underway in Cleveland on Monday. Young top-scored for Atlanta with 29 points, while Onyeka Okongwu scored 28 and grabbed 12 rebounds.
In other news, the Memphis Grizzlies secured the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-106. According to Fox Sports, Ja Morant scored 22 points and made nine assists for the Grizzlies, despite dealing with an ankle problem. The Grizzlies will face the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
For Dallas, the defeat concluded a miserable season, which included the departure of star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis, who moved to Dallas in that controversial trade, received medical treatment for injury problems throughout the game but led the team with 40 points and nine rebounds.
As quoted by Fox Sports, Morant indicated that the painkillers had worked for his sprained ankle, saying: "I couldn’t feel it. That’s why I was out there." He added: "(We are) the underdogs. Obviously, we go on to face a tough team in OKC, but we have all the confidence in ourselves and (are) ready to go Sunday."
The Grizzlies’ win sets up an exciting first-round matchup against the Thunder. As Fox Sports reported, Morant emphasised the need for his team to be sound defensively and play their type of basketball to take on the well-rounded Thunder.
The NBA playoffs are set to be an exciting and unpredictable competition, with several teams vying for the championship title. With expert analysis and commentary, fans can stay up-to-date with all the action on Kayo Sports, which offers live coverage of every game of the NBA Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
Source: Fox Sports
