Latest news with #Heat-Bulls
USA Today
17-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Caleb Williams classily signed a football and threw it into the crowd during Heat-Bulls
Caleb Williams classily signed a football and threw it into the crowd during Heat-Bulls Chicago Bulls fans weren't having a great time at the United Center on Wednesday as the team struggled against the Miami Heat during the NBA play-in tournament. However, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams further endeared himself to Windy City fans by signing a football while he was attending the Bulls game and throwing it into the stands for one lucky patron. This might seem like a small gesture for Williams to make, but it's great to see him supporting a fellow Chicago team and doing Bulls fans a solid during a tough game with NBA playoff implications. This really is cool to watch. Maybe Williams will give Chicago some playoff fireworks in the winter?
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
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.
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Trae Young ejected from Hawks vs. Magic play-in game
Trae Young ejected from Hawks vs. Magic play-in game Show Caption Hide Caption Denver Nuggets fire Coach and GM just before the NBA playoffs For The Hoops crew debates whether the Denver Nuggets are in panic mode ahead the playoffs after firing head coach Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth. Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young was ejected in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's play-in game against the Orlando Magic after he picked up two technical fouls in quick succession. The game was essentially out of reach when Young received his first tech after he made an impressive floater with 4:48 to go in the fourth quarter, cutting the Hawks' deficit to 20 points. He quickly fired the ball toward crew chief James Williams, who apparently didn't take kindly to the move. He T'd Young up immediately. Williams then bounced the ball down the court toward the Magic's end, but Young stepped in and lightly knocked the ball out of bounds with his feet then kept it away from another ref. He received a second technical foul for the act, drawing an automatic ejection. The Hawks lost 120-95 and will have to defeat the winner of Wednesday's Heat-Bulls game to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. That game will take place in Atlanta on Friday. The Magic secured the No. 7 seed in the East with the win and will face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the first round. Why Trae Young was ejected Per the pool report, Williams said Young received his first technical foul for "throwing the ball at a game official." Williams said Young received his second technical foul "for kicking the ball away and making a mockery of the game as we were attempting to shoot the free throw for the first technical foul." Trae Young Play-In Tournament stats Young finished with a team-high 28 points on 8-for-21 shooting, including a 1-for-5 mark from 3. He did hit 11 of his 12 free throws and added six assists. This story has been updated with new information.
Miami Herald
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Adebayo and Herro leaning on each other to help lead Heat into postseason after ‘tough transition'
It has been a challenging season for the Miami Heat. From the ugly Jimmy Butler saga to a 10-game losing skid to the team's worst regular-season record in a decade, a lot has gone wrong for the Heat this season. But at least one thing has gone right for the Heat: Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have been available more often than any other leading duo in the league, providing stability amid an otherwise turbulent season. With Herro (2,725 minutes) ranked eighth and Adebayo (2,673 minutes) ranked 12th in the NBA in total minutes played this regular season, the only other teammates who finished the regular season among the top 12 on this list is the New York Knicks trio of Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby. 'It has been important,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Adebayo and Herro's availability this season. 'It was also something they both wanted to do. Be available, be there for the team and I think that's allowed us to be able to handle some of the things that we've been able to handle. Even though it hasn't obviously been exactly how we wanted it to go, it definitely could have looked different.' Adebayo and Herro now face a different challenge, beginning a postseason without Butler by their side. After making it to the Eastern Conference finals three times and NBA Finals two times during Butler's five full seasons with the Heat before he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in February, the Eastern Conference's 10th-place Heat opens this postseason in a win-or-go-home play-in tournament game against the ninth-place Chicago Bulls on Wednesday at United Center (7:30 p.m., ESPN). 'It's just important for the team to hear our voice, to see us,' Adebayo said of his partnership with Herro. 'Obviously, we have a lot more responsibility than others. But that's the thing, we got a lot more responsibility at this time, trying to get [Andrew Wiggins] acclimated after the stuff we went through the first half of the season. It's good for us. It's teaching us to lead, it's teaching us how to be the two men in front no matter what that looks like. Points, rebounds, whatever it is, trying our best to impact winning. Then as we grow, we're starting to figure this out.' As the East's 10th-place team, the Heat will need to win two consecutive road play-in games just to qualify for the playoffs as the conference's No. 8 seed and clinch a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat-Bulls winner advances to take on the loser of Tuesday night's play-in game between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks on Friday in either Orlando or Atlanta, with the victor of Friday's contest earning the conference's eighth playoff seed and the loser sent into the offseason. 'It's a great opportunity for our team,' Spoelstra said. This postseason also represents a great opportunity for Adebayo, 27, and Herro, 25, to continue growing as leaders on and off the court following the trade of Butler. 'With the moves we made at the deadline, it's a tough transition being in something for so long and playing for a certain way for so long and then having to transition midseason and also having guys feel comfortable and stuff like that,' Herro said. 'We've definitely leaned on each other just to help lead the team, but also as we're trying to continue to raise our level of play. Leaning on each other and making sure we got each other's back pretty much on all facets. We talk about just no matter what, we always have to be on the same page. No matter what's going on with the team, wins or losses, me and Bam always have to be on the same page.' Adebayo and Herro are two of only three current Heat players who were also on the roster during Butler's first run to the NBA Finals in Miami in 2020. The other is Duncan Robinson. 'We kind of joke about it that we're the last of the Mohicans — me, Tyler and Duncan,' Adebayo said. 'So when you look at it in that fashion, you just understand how blessed we are to still be here. A lot of things have changed since the 2020 Finals run. It's only us three left. So for us, it just puts it in perspective how quickly things can change.' The feeling for both Adebayo and Herro is the Butler trade marked the start of something new and different that they believe can eventually produce positive results. Adebayo started the season slow, but has averaged 20.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, four assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 44.8 percent on threes in 27 appearances since the mid-February All-Star break. Herro averaged career highs in points (23.9 per game) and assists (5.5) while shooting a career-best 47.2% from the field this regular season. He also shot an efficient 37.5% on a career-high 8.7 three-point attempts per game while missing just five regular-season games after never playing in more than 67 regular-season games during the first five seasons of his NBA career. 'Hell yeah,' Herro said when asked if he feels like the Heat pivoted to the start of a new chapter this season. 'Obviously, the season is not over, but I think it's just building blocks. I feel like as we continue to grow, I feel like we have a legitimate chance to continue to keep getting better, where we can eventually compete for a championship at one point.' The Heat hopes it can prolong its season with a win on Wednesday in Chicago. But Adebayo can already say this season has been the toughest he has been through since being drafted by the Heat in 2017. 'Ups and downs, through all the media and everything. Obviously, the 10-game losing streak,' Adebayo said, running through the Heat's tumultuous season. 'You deal with a whole bunch of [expletive] throughout a season and it makes you grateful that I get to be able to play this game. I always think positively about it. I don't really let the down days get me too down.' Adebayo's responsibilities extend beyond the basketball court as the Heat's captain. Herro has also stepped into a leadership role this season. Both Adebayo and Herro are learning on the job as leaders, but continue to push through a rough season they hope doesn't end anytime soon with two road play-in tournament wins separating the Heat from making the playoffs for the sixth straight season. 'As captain and as a leader, a lot of times it's not about you,' Adebayo said. 'A lot of times, you got to remember your [expletive] goes last. You got to worry about everybody else and what they're going through to try to get them right and that's coaches included. Sometimes I got to get on Spo. Every once in a while, we have our blowup moments. 'But it comes down to the fact that it's not about you and you got to get 14 guys plus staff ready to go out here and compete and try to win a basketball game. So from that standpoint, I feel like I've gained a lot of respect not only from our coaches but the players who have been here, as well.'
Miami Herald
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Western Conference sorts out playoff bracket on final day
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors couldn't let the chaotic race for Western Conference playoff seedings be unscrambled in regulation of their regular-season finale on Sunday. They needed five more minutes, with the Clippers (50-32) winning 124-119 in overtime in San Francisco and securing the fifth seed and a playoff series against the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets (50-32) when the first round begins April 19. The loss dropped the Warriors (48-34) to seventh place and a date with the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday in San Francisco. The winner becomes the West's No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Entering Sunday as teams played their 82nd games, the Eastern Conference seedings already were determined. Out West, however, only the top three seeds -- the Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14), Houston Rockets (52-30) and Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) -- had locked in seeding. Fourth through 10th places were up for grabs, making for a wild day of scoreboard watching. For the first time since conferences were established in the 1970-71 season, three teams from one conference secured playoff berths on the last day of the regular season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) won 116-105 over the lowly Utah Jazz (league-worst 17-65) on Sunday to avoid the play-in and clinch the sixth spot and a first-round series with the Lakers. The Dallas Mavericks (39-43), as the 10th and final team to keep playing in the West, visit the ninth-place Sacramento Kings (40-42) in the other play-in game on Wednesday. The loser is eliminated, and the winner plays Friday against the loser of the Grizzlies-Warriors to determine the West's No. 8 seed. The Nuggets, who won their last three games under interim head coach David Adelman, are the West's fourth seed after beating the Rockets 126-111 on Sunday. The No. 1 Thunder await the No. 8 play-in winner, and the No. 2 Rockets get the No. 7 winner. Eastern Conference postseason teams already knew their assignments before Sunday, with the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks (40-42) visiting the seventh-place Orlando Magic (41-41) on Tuesday. The ninth-place Chicago Bulls (39-43) host the 10th-place Miami Heat (37-45) on Wednesday, with the loser eliminated. The Hawks and Magic have split their four meetings this season, including Sunday when host Atlanta won 117-105 in a game played mainly by reserves. The winner Tuesday in Orlando becomes the East's No. 7 seed and will face the second-seeded Boston Celtics (61-21) in the opening round. The Hawks-Magic loser will face the winner of Heat-Bulls to advance as the East's No. 8 seed and meet the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) in Round 1. Other Eastern Conference first-round matchups are the No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31) against the No. 6 Detroit Pistons (44-38) and the No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32) against the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (48-34). --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
