Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) reacts with forward Andrew Wiggins (22) after the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks in overtime at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Miami Heat punched their way back into the playoffs after defeating the Atlanta Hawks‘ season Friday night 123-114.
They became the first 10th seed to ever make it into the postseason. Next up, the 64-18 Cleveland Cavaliers.
But first, here are some takeaways from the overtime thriller.
The Stars Shined
The Heat’s best players came to play in the biggest game of the season, with Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins combining to shoot 26 of 52 from the field. Despite having Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dyson Daniels draped all over him all night, Herro had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Adebayo ended with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals. Wiggins had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Defense. Defense. Defense.
Although Trae Young finished with a good-looking stat-line, (29 points, 11 assists, five rebounds), the Heat did a good job cutting off the head of the snake. They made things tough on him, (as they do), holding him to just 39 percent shooting inside the and the Hawks into a below average offensive rating. The guys who were really giving the Heat issues were Onyeka Okongwu (28 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and a block), and Georges Niang (20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals).
Stars In Their Roles
This wasn’t a situation where a team’s stars carried them in an important game. They had significant performances from key role players, with Davion Mitchell being the headliner here. Mitchell stole the show in overtime, making play after play to seal the game to go along with his usual strong point-of-attack defense. He finished with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds. Haywood Highsmith also was a big two-way contributor, adding 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Both Mitchell and Highsmith played about 40 minutes each. To a lesser extent, rookie Kel’el Ware was productive in his stint, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds and a block in 22 minutes.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @tropicalblanket
