The NBA playoff picture became clearer on Friday night after the final two games of the play-in tournament.
The Miami Heat, who barely squeezed into the Eastern Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best regular season record, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 in overtime to secure the No. 8 seed in the East. In the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies dominated the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to claim the eighth seed.
In the opening game, the Heat, fresh off a win against the Bulls earlier in the week, took control early against the Hawks, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half. Despite a slow start, the Hawks fought back, with Trae Young hitting a clutch lay-up to tie the game at 106 and force overtime. In the extra period, Heat guard Davion Mitchell took charge, scoring nine of his 16 points on three 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks. Tyler Herro led all scorers with 30 points, while Young finished with 29 points for Atlanta.
With the win, the Heat became the first 10th-place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. They will face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round starting Sunday.
In the night’s second game, the Grizzlies came out strong against the Mavericks, jumping to a 39-24 lead after the first quarter and extending it to as much as 25 points in the second. Memphis was led by an all-around team effort, with Jaren Jackson Jr. scoring 24 points and Ja Morant adding 22, despite playing through an injured right ankle. The Mavericks, however, struggled to get much help for star Anthony Davis, who scored a game-high 40 points. Dallas’ season came to a disappointing end, marked by injuries and the trade of Luka Dončić earlier in the year.
With their win, the Grizzlies earned the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and will face the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, starting Sunday.
The first round of the playoffs begins Saturday, with the NBA Finals set to start on June 5.