Miami Heat become the first 10th place team to advance out of the NBA's play-in tournament as playoff field is set
The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Easter 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 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 added 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.
The Grizzlies pounced all over the Mavs early, walloping Dallas from the opening tip to establish a 39-24 lead after the first quarter.
Memphis continued to pour it on in the second quarter, running their lead up to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies would coast from there.
With star guard Ja Morant playing on an injured right ankle after rolling it in Grizzlies' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Memphis was lifted by an all-around team effort on Friday.
All of the Grizzlies' starters scored in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 24 points. Morant scored 22 for Memphis.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more or less a one-man band. Anthony Davis, who joined Dallas as part of the much-scrutinized trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Dončić, scored a game-high 40 points.
The next highest scorer for Dallas was Klay Thompson with 18, and two of the Mavericks' starters – PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II – didn't score at all.
It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season for the Mavericks, who entered the season with championship dreams fueled by the presence of their MVP-candidate Dončić. But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had.
With their win, the Grizzlies earn the final spot in the Western Conference and a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of the NBA's best record during the regular season. That series will begin Sunday.
First round playoff action begins Saturday with the NBA Finals scheduled to tip off on June 5.
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