The Heat are the kings of the play-in.
In a historic achievement, the Heat became the first 10th-seeded team in NBA history to advance to the first round of the playoffs, defeating the Atlanta Hawks,123-114, in overtime on Friday night.
This marks the third consecutive play-in appearance for the Heat, who’ve now made the main draw of the playoffs each time.
Miami was the seventh seed entering the play-in in 2023 before they memorably went on an improbable run to make the 2023 NBA Finals.
Last season, they lost in the No. 7-seed game to the 76ers — and lost Jimmy Butler to a knee injury — but defeated the Bulls to take the No. 8 seed, though they eventually fell in the first round to the Celtics.
And this time, they took out the Bulls for a third straight season on Wednesday, which set up their date with the Hawks in Atlanta on Friday.
Tyler Herro led the way with 30 points, including two crucial 3-pointers in overtime, while Bam Adebayo contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five memorable blocked shots.
“I know how badly our group wanted to get into this thing,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “I could see it in their eyes and feel it in their heart.”
Davion Mitchell made several key plays down the stretch and ended the night with 16 points and four made treys.
This victory secured the Heat the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, setting up a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Cavaliers.
When the Heat secured a dominant 109-90 victory over the Bulls, Herro had 38 points, about 24 hours after former teammate Butler had 38 against Memphis in the Warriors’ play-in win.
In February, the Heat traded Butler to the Warriors in a blockbuster deal that sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round pick to Miami.
Since the trade, the Heat have faced challenges — including, at one point, a 10-game losing streak — but they’ve earned a trip to the postseason for the sixth straight season.