Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks in overtime to become the first team ranked tenth to advance to the NBA playoffs through the play-in round.
The Heat will now take on the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs after rallying from a 10-game losing run in March to advance to the play-in round.
They defeated the Hawks 123-114 in overtime after defeating the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, securing a first-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the conference’s top seed.
Playoff games in both conferences start on Saturday. The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 in the Western Conference and will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Miami dominated the first half in Atlanta, taking a 17-point lead before closing out the first half 62-53. However, the Hawks put up a fierce fight and took the lead with 7:36 remaining, 91-88.
With five minutes and six seconds left, the Hawks rallied and took a 98-92 lead.
With 12 seconds remaining, a free throw from Tyler Herro gave the Heat a 106-104 lead, but Trae Young’s late layup forced overtime.
In the extra period, Davion Mitchell made three three-pointers and Herro added two more to help the Heat find their shooting range and win.
On Sunday, the Cavaliers will begin the best-of-seven series in Cleveland as overwhelming favorites.
