The heat is on, and the Miami Heat are headed to the playoffs.
Led by an emphatic 30 points by Tyler Herro, the Heat eliminated the resilient Atlanta Hawks by the final score of 123-114 in overtime of their play-in tournament clash on Friday night.
“I know how badly our group wanted to get into this thing,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I could see it in their eyes and feel it in their heart.”
Herro and Davion Mitchell, who scored only seven points in regulation, put the team on their backs and were responsible for 15 of Miami’s 17 points in the extra session, with Mitchell draining a three-pointer that for all intents and purposes, put the game on ice for the Heat.
The Heat never trailed through the first three quarters and led by as many as 17 points, but the Hawks displayed their toughness and stormed back to take a six-point lead, 98-92, late in the fourth quarter.
A jumper from Herro helped put Miami ahead by the slimmest of margins, but Hawks star Trae Young sent the contest to overtime.
Miami pulled away over the final five minutes of action, though.
Herro was efficient during the game, not forcing up any shots, shooting 10-of-21 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range. He also was a monster on the glass, pulling down eight rebounds and handed out seven dimes.
Bam Adebayo made his presence felt, looking like a young Alonzo Mourning, scoring 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists of his own.
Heat forward Nikola Jovic, who had been on the shelf since February 23 with a broken right hand, was available but did not play. Guard Pelle Larsson (ankle) also was available for the first time since April 7.
Embed from Getty ImagesYoung’s lay-in with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation knotted the game at 106, forcing the overtime. Young had a double-double, with a team-high 29 points with 11 assists. Onyeka Okongwu had 28 points with 12 rebounds.
“Not making the playoffs is a failure to me,” Young said.
After setting season lows with four 3-pointers made and 21 attempted against the Orlando Magic in the first play-in game on Tuesday, coach Quin Snyder said his players “have got to be more willing to take contested 3s.”
The Hawks heard the message and responded by attempting 21 3s in just the first half alone against Miami, while making five. For the game, Atlanta made 16 of 47 3s.
The Heat, who ended the regular season at No. 10 in the Eastern Conference standings, became the lowest-ranked team in either conference to make the playoffs in NBA history. Miami also became the first play-in team to advance with two road wins.
“We did it the hard way. We’re battle-tested,” said Miami’s Haywood Highsmith, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. “We can go anywhere and beat anybody.”
Asked about the difficult challenge ahead of facing Cleveland, Spoelstra said, “I’m so grateful we’re in the playoffs. We’re the first team to do it, and why not, to take on two road games.”
Added Highsmith: “We fought to get into the playoffs. Now that we’re in, we’re not going to go out soft.”
Fans and former players alike were amazed by the clutch performance from Herro.
As for Mitchell, he finished with 16 points and played an impactful 40 minutes off the bench. He also shot 44.4 percent from behind the arc. Miami could not have pulled the win off without his timely shooting.
The Heat has now secured a playoff appearance for the sixth consecutive season and will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
