With overtime victories over the Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks to become the first 10th-seeded team to reach the NBA play-offs.
The Heat needed to win consecutive road games to advance to the first four-team Eastern Conference qualification competition.
After defeating the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, they moved on to a 123-114 overtime win over the Hawks to prepare for a first-round meeting with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who are conference top seeds.
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 in the Western Conference playoff game, which will feature games against the Oklahoma City Thunder in round one.
The Mavericks’ defeat sees the conclusion of a terrible campaign that included Kyrie Irving’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury and Luka Doncic’s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony Davis, who moved to Dallas as part of the Doncic trade, remained in the lead line with 40 points and nine rebounds throughout the game.
After falling behind to the Hawks for ten games last month, the Heat resurrected and won the post-season tournament. They led the Heat in the opening half, scoring 17 points at one point, before extending their lead to 62-53 heading into the break.
With five minutes and six seconds left, the Hawks fought back and were up 98-92.
With 12 seconds left, the Heat was beaten by a free throw from Tyler Herro, but Trae Young was able to put the game to overtime thanks to a late layup.
In the extra period, Davion Mitchell sank three three-pointers and Herro added two more as the Heat found their range from the perimeter.
Morant recovers from injury to help the Grizzlies advance.
Ja Morant scored 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals for the Grizzlies in Memphis after recovering from a sprained right ankle.
The 25-year-old two-time All-Star only received medical clearance before the game’s start on Friday because he injured himself in his team’s opening play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors.
“I had an MRI, an ultrasound, met with different doctors, I got a shot, I slept, I woke up, I went to the gym about 5:30,” Morant said.
“Sat for about 30 minutes until I needed to see a different doctor, get an injection, and get my pre-game stuff started.”
He laughed back when asked how the ankle felt after the game, “I couldn’t feel it, that’s why I was out there.”
The Grizzlies had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Scotty Pippen Jr. had 13.
After the season, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd praised his players.
According to Kidd, “We had an incredible season when you look at the injuries we’ve had, the Doncic trade, and for us to even be here playing in this game is incredible.”
Conference in the West:
Memphis Grizzlies (8) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (1)
Golden State Warriors (7) versus Houston Rockets (2)
Los Angeles Lakers (3) and Minnesota Timberwolves (Six)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets (4)
Eastern Conference :
Cleveland Cavaliers versus Miami Heat ten games
Orlando Magic versus Boston Celtics (7)
Detroit Pistons (6) vs. New York Knicks (3)
Milwaukee Bucks (4) vs. the Indian Pacers (4)
Seeding is indicated by brackets.
related subjects
- Basketball
Source: BBC
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