The Miami Heat made NBA Play-In Tournament history on Friday night, becoming the first No. 10 seed to reach the playoffs since the format was introduced in 2020-21. Miami rallied in overtime to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 123-114, punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference playoffs with a gritty, comeback win on the road.
Tyler Herro led the way with 30 points, including two crucial three-pointers in overtime, as the Heat completed their unlikely run by winning back-to-back road games in the play-in. Miami now heads to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday night.
Herro’s late-game heroics were backed by an unexpected boost from Davion Mitchell, who scored just seven points in regulation before erupting in overtime with three deep threes to put the game away. Haywood Highsmith also delivered a strong two-way performance with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“We just stayed together,” Herro said postgame. “We’ve been in a lot of these moments before, and we knew what it would take to pull it out on the road.”
Miami surged early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and extending their advantage to 45-28 in the second quarter. But Atlanta, led by Trae Young’s 29 points and 11 assists, clawed back. Terance Mann’s layup tied it at 88 midway through the fourth, and Young’s deep three gave the Hawks their first lead at 91-88 with 7:36 to play.
Onyeka Okongwu added a career playoff-high 28 points and 12 rebounds, providing key buckets down the stretch. His three-pointer followed by a thunderous dunk after a Dyson Daniels steal gave Atlanta a 98-92 edge, but the Heat never panicked.
A flurry of late buckets brought Miami back. With just 1.3 seconds left in regulation, Young’s lay-in tied the game at 106, forcing overtime.
From there, it was all Heat. Herro and Mitchell took over, silencing the home crowd and making history in the process. The Heat became the first team to advance through the play-in with two road wins and the first No. 10 seed from either conference to reach the playoffs under the current format.
Despite the loss, Atlanta showed fight. The Hawks, who attempted 21 three-pointers in the first half and finished 16-for-47 from deep, heeded coach Quin Snyder’s call for more aggression from beyond the arc after a poor shooting display in their previous outing.
Miami, meanwhile, leaned on experience and timely shot-making. Nikola Jovic, back from a broken hand, and Pelle Larsson (ankle) were both available but did not play. Their return to the bench, however, added emotional lift to a team already fighting for survival.
Now, the Heat turn their attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. Game 1 tips off Sunday night, April 20, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Up Next: Eastern Conference First Round – Game 1, Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, April 20 – Tipoff 7 pm. The playoffs are here, and so are the Miami Heat.
