Locked On Heat

The Heat came out hot, scoring the game’s first 10 points and leading by 17 (45-28) in the 2nd quarter, then regrouped after losing that lead late to beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 in OT on Friday night and head into the playoffs to face the #1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat became the 1st 10-seed in the NBA to make the playoffs since the current play-in format was launched in the 2020-21 season. Miami also became the 1st play-in team to advance with 2 road wins. Tyler Herro played like one, scoring 30 points, sinking a pair of huge 3-pointers in OT and consistently being the best player on the court the entire game. Davion Mitchell was sensational down the stretch and in overtime, hitting huge 3’s and locking down Atlanta’s star Trae Young for much of the game. Young, who still scored 29 points and sent the game into OT with a beautiful driving layup at the end of regulation, had just 11 points through the 1st 3 quarters. A big reason why was Miami Captain Bam Adebayo, who controlled the middle and ruled