NBA Play-In Tournament live updates: Latest from Heat vs. Bulls and Mavs vs. Kings
The Play-In Tournament works as double elimination for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds for each conference, and single elimination for the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds. Both of tonight's games feature teams in the latter category.
Thus, it's win or go home for the Heat, Bulls, Mavericks and Kings tonight. The winner of Heat-Bulls will play the Hawks, who lost to the Magic in last night's Play-In game, for the No. 8 seed in the East. The winner of Mavericks-Kings will head to Memphis to play the Grizzlies, who lost to the Warriors last night, for the No. 8 seed in the West.
The loser of each game tonight will be eliminated and their season will be over.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Heat reportedly among Kevin Durant's preferred trade destinations. Where things stand
The Miami Heat is interested in acquiring 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant and Durant is interested in joining the Heat. After a league source confirmed the Heat's interest in Durant earlier this week, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday night that the Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are Durant's three preferred trade destinations. 'Those across the NBA have been made aware in recent days that those are the three teams that Durant would commit to long-term,' Charania reported. This is important because Durant has just one season left on his contract, as he's due $54.7 million next season before he can become a free agent in the 2026 offseason. Durant, who turns 37 on Sept. 29, is eligible to sign a two-year contract extension worth as much as $112 million following a potential trade. If he waits six months after the trade, he could sign a two-year extension worth up to $124 million. ESPN's report came shortly after The Athletic listed the Spurs and Rockets as Durant's only preferred trade destinations, 'but there are complicating factors with both of those negotiations that (for now, at least) make a deal look unlikely.' The Minnesota Timberwolves are another team reportedly that have engaged the Suns in trade talks for Durant, but he's apparently not willing to make a long-term commitment to the Timberwolves. Even though the Heat, Spurs and Rockets are Durant's preferred trade destinations, the Suns could still deal him elsewhere if another team is willing to take him in as a one-year rental on an expiring contract. The Toronto Raptors went that route when they traded for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 before winning the NBA championship with Leonard in 2019 and then losing him to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 free agency. 'The Suns have made clear to six-to-eight seriously interested teams that they will make the best deal for the franchise — even outside of his preferred list of Miami, San Antonio and Houston,' Charania reported. The Heat holds Durant in high regard but doesn't want to offer all of its trade assets — meaning its top young players and all its available draft inventory — because he's entering his late 30s. The question is whether the Heat would be willing to include 21-year-old center Kel'el Ware in a potential deal for Durant after Ware made the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team for his work this past season. The Heat can also trade two-first rounds before the draft: the 20th overall selection in this month's draft and a first-round pick in 2030 or 2031. The Heat can trade as many as three first-round picks if the deal is agreed to before the draft but not executed until after the draft. In that scenario, Miami could select a player on behalf of another team at No. 20 in this year's draft and then trade its 2030 and 2032 first-round picks after the draft. The Heat's 2032 first-round pick can't be traded until after the draft because teams cannot deal picks more than seven years out. Duncan Robinson's contract could also be attractive to the Suns, as he's due to make $19.9 million next season but only $9.9 million is currently guaranteed. A team that acquires Robinson could release him by his July 8 guarantee deadline and save $10 million against the cap and luxury tax, which would save the Suns more than $20 million and help get them under the second apron and potentially under the luxury tax line. One thing is for sure, Durant is still one of the NBA's elite scorers even at this late stage of his career. He averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 43 percent on six three-point attempts per game this past season for Suns in his 17th NBA season. Durant and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic were the only two players in the league who averaged at least 25 points per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field and better than 40 percent from three-point range last regular season. In fact, Durant has averaged at least 25 points per game while shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 40 percent or better on threes in three straight regular seasons for the longest such streak in NBA history, according to ESPN research. Durant also shot an NBA-best 49.7 percent on jumpers, an NBA-best 53.1 percent on midrange shots and an NBA-best 50.9 percent on off-the-dribble jumpers, according to GeniusIQ. This marks at least the fourth time that the Heat has attempted to add Durant to its roster during the past decade. The Heat tried to land Durant in free agency during the 2016 offseason, then tried to acquire him in 2022 (when he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, but he was eventually dealt to the Suns), and then made an offer for him last season before this past February's trade deadline.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Team Featuring $224 Million All-Star Could Trade for Kevin Durant
Team Featuring $224 Million All-Star Could Trade for Kevin Durant originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Phoenix Suns are expected to trade future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant before the 2025 NBA Draft, which is set for June 25. Advertisement According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat or Minnesota Timberwolves could trade for Durant soon. Durant, 36, has one year left on his contract. He can sign an extension after he's traded. 'Really in the last 24, 48 hours, I'm told the focus of the Suns conversations has been on a few of the teams and here they are: the Houston Rockets, the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves, I'm told,' Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show. Durant has been heavily linked to the Rockets, Heat and Timberwolves, but it appears there is a wild-card team that could trade for the NBA legend. The Toronto Raptors could trade for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Toronto Raptors could trade for Durant. The Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in 2018, even though Leonard only had one year left on his contract. Advertisement Leonard led Toronto to the 2019 championship and then left for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency. 'What you're hearing now on Kevin Durant, there are teams out there that are saying, you know what, we know he's only under contract for one more year at about $55 million. We're willing to gamble on him. And the Toronto Raptors are one of those teams,' Stein said. 'And the Toronto Raptors have already done this. They've already gambled on a Hall-of-Fame-bound forward who had one year left on his deal, traded for Kawhi Leonard, won a championship, and immediately lost Kawhi Leonard.' The Raptors went 30-52 this season. They haven't made the postseason since 2022. Advertisement Toronto's lone All-Star is Scottie Barnes, who signed a $224 million contract with the Raptors in 2024. The forward won the 2022 Rookie of the Year Award. He has career averages of 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5 assists. It will be fascinating to see where Durant is playing next season. The 15-time All-Star has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Suns. Related: Kevin Durant Trade Expected to Be Imminent With 3 Teams Competing Over Him This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Big Update in Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Durant Trade Rumors
Big Update in Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Durant Trade Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Phoenix Suns are in the midst of a critical offseason. After a 36-46 season, they missed out on a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, finishing as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference. As a result, they fired head coach Mike Budenholzer. Advertisement That proved not to be the only change they would make, as the Suns announced they would be moving James Jones into a senior advisory role with Brian Gregory taking over. Gregory and owner Mat Ishbia's relationship goes back to Ishbia's playing days at Michigan State. Big update in Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Durant trade rumors It remains to be seen how soon the Suns will look to trade Durant. It will likely be in the next two weeks, as the NBA Draft takes place on Wednesday, June 25. If the deal were to involve any draft picks, they'd likely want it for the upcoming draft rather than a year out. Possible suitors for Durant have included the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic provided a massive update regarding a possible trade with one of those teams. Advertisement "The Timberwolves have had 'discussions' about a Kevin Durant trade but 'nothing is close,'" said Krawczynski. Durant and Anthony Edwards have a friendship after the two participated in the Olympics for Team USA this past summer. Edwards views Durant as a sort of big brother and would likely love having Durant beside him as the Timberwolves aim to take the next step after falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. It remains to be seen exactly what the Timberwolves would be willing to part with for Durant, but adding a player of Durant's caliber, even at this stage of his career, could be a move that puts them over the top and allows Phoenix to regain some future assets. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
