NBA: Heat make history as first 10-seed to reach NBA playoffs
The Miami Heat etched their name in NBA history Friday night, becoming the first 10th-seeded team to advance through the play-in tournament with a gritty 123-114 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks. After eliminating Chicago on Wednesday, Miami completed its improbable run by overcoming a late Hawks rally, capped by Tyler Herro’s clutch 30-point performance.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies secured the West’s final playoff spot with a 120-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, despite Ja Morant playing through a sprained ankle.
“I couldn’t feel it—that’s why I was out there,” joked Morant after posting 22 points and 9 assists.
The losses ended disappointing seasons for both defeated teams. Dallas, ravaged by injuries (including Kyrie Irving’s ACL tear) and the midseason Luka Dončić trade, saw Anthony Davis score 40 points in what may have been his final game as a Maverick.
Atlanta, despite Trae Young’s late heroics to force OT, couldn’t contain Miami’s three-point barrage in the extra period.
“Every run they made, we answered,” said Herro, whose Heat now face top-seeded Cleveland. “This entire season built us for this moment.”
Memphis advances to meet Oklahoma City, completing a remarkable turnaround for a team that lost star guard Desmond Bane to injury in March.
As the playoffs begin Saturday, two underdogs have already defied expectations—with Miami rewriting the record books along the way.
