Tyler Herro scored 30 points to lead the Miami Heat to a thrilling 123-114 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks, sealing their place in the NBA playoffs. The win marks Miami as the first 10th seed to qualify through the play-in tournament, capping a remarkable turnaround after a 10-game losing streak in March.
The Heat, who also defeated the Bulls in Chicago earlier this week, will now face top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs starting Sunday.
Miami led by 17 in the first half but had to claw back late after Atlanta surged ahead. Trae Young forced overtime with a last-second lay-up, but the Heat pulled away thanks to three clutch three-pointers from Davion Mitchell and two more from Herro.
In the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies claimed the final playoff spot with a 120-106 win over Dallas. Ja Morant, playing through an ankle injury, finished with 22 points and nine assists. Memphis will now face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dallas ended a disappointing season after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Anthony Davis, acquired in the deal, battled through injury to lead the Mavericks with 40 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to stop Memphis from advancing.
