By Jenna West, John Hollinger, James Jackson, Will Guillory and Christian Clark
The Athletic has reside protection of the 2025 NBA Play-In Match.
The Miami Warmth escaped the Atlanta Hawks in an time beyond regulation thriller, and the Memphis Grizzlies handily defeated the Dallas Mavericks to maintain their seasons alive and advance to the NBA playoffs.
Ja Morant, enjoying with a sprained proper ankle, put up 22 factors, whereas Jaren Jackson Jr. paced the Grizzlies with 24 as Memphis by no means gave up the lead throughout their 120-106 win. The eighth-seeded Grizzlies transfer on to the NBA playoffs to face the No. 1 seed Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
In the meantime, Anthony Davis tallied 40 factors in Dallas’ loss whereas nursing a groin harm all through the sport. The loss ends a disappointing season for the Mavs, who signed Klay Thompson final offseason and traded Luka Dončić for Davis in a blockbuster transfer of their goal to win a championship.
In Friday’s first Play-In Match recreation, Tyler Herro led the Warmth with 30 factors, seven rebounds and 7 assists as Miami held the lead many of the recreation. The Hawks went up within the fourth quarter and tied the sport for the primary time with Terance Mann’s two-pointer with 8:09 left. Herro and the Hawks’ Trae Younger traded baskets earlier than Younger’s driving layup with 1.1 left in regulation tied the sport once more, sending it to time beyond regulation.
TRAE YOUNG SENDS IT TO OVERTIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/V734a8LUm9
— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2025
The Warmth rapidly pulled away to beat the Hawks and earn the Japanese Convention’s No. 8 seed within the playoffs, the place they are going to face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Miami, which defeated the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday, turns into the primary No. 10 seed in Play-In Match historical past to clinch a playoff berth.
Grizzlies 120, Mavericks 106
Ja Morant quiets issues about his ankle
After a couple of days of concern over his ankle sprain, Morant rapidly quieted all of the questions on his well being with a thunderous putback dunk within the first quarter, and the Grizzlies have been off to the races from there. Memphis led from wire to wire and was up by double digits many of the night time en path to an emphatic victory over the Mavericks.
JA MORANT MY GOODNESS 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/HFalGZPeMo
— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2025
Morant’s spotlight performs and heroic effort after a severe ankle harm will get many of the consideration after this recreation, but it surely was an entire effort from the Grizzlies that overpowered a Mavericks crew that didn’t have sufficient firepower to maintain up on this matchup. Morant completed with seven rebounds and 9 assists, whereas Jackson chipped in seven rebounds. Desmond Bane added 22 factors and 9 assists. All 5 Memphis starters scored not less than 13 factors, and Santi Aldama additionally chipped in 11 factors off the bench.
As bleak because the final month has been in Memphis, the crew wanted a recreation like this to elevate the spirits of everybody within the constructing. Now, they’ve acquired a unique problem forward with the most effective crew within the NBA awaiting their arrival in a couple of days. — Will Guillory, NBA employees author
Mavericks’ disastrous season is over
Probably the most disastrous seasons within the Mavericks’ 45-year historical past is over.
Dallas, which entered the season with championship hopes, missed the playoffs after being eradicated within the Western Convention Play-In Match. Three days after common supervisor Nico Harrison repeatedly stated “protection wins championships” as his rationale for buying and selling Dončić, the Mavericks’ protection appeared porous in a win-or-go-home recreation.
The Grizzlies scored 66 first-half factors. Morant, who was questionable after touchdown awkwardly on his proper ankle Tuesday, lived within the lane early on.
The Mavericks beat up the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. On Friday, it was a unique story in opposition to a much bigger Grizzlies crew. Memphis, which stars Jackson and Zach Edey in its frontcourt, outscored Dallas 60-44 within the paint.
The Mavericks trailed by as many as 25 factors. They reduce the Grizzlies’ result in seven factors within the third quarter, however that was as shut as they acquired to threatening. Davis didn’t get a lot assistance on offense from his teammates as P.J. Washington and Dereck Vigorous II went scoreless.
The Mavericks have been 19-10 with the NBA’s No. 4 offense and No. 11 protection going into their Christmas Day recreation in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then, Dončić strained his left calf, and every thing modified for Dallas, which has a protracted offseason forward of it. — Christian Clark, Mavericks beat author
Warmth 123, Hawks 114
Miami brings the warmth
A mix of well timed defensive stops and essential buckets helped Miami maintain off Atlanta’s late-game rally into time beyond regulation for the convention’s closing playoff seed. Whereas Herro and Bam Adebayo (17 factors, 11 rebounds and 5 assists) led the best way, Davion Mitchell was among the many Warmth’s position gamers doing every thing they might to maintain Miami’s season alive.
Mitchell, acquired through commerce in February, scored 15 of his 16 factors within the second half and time beyond regulation. The Warmth outscored the Hawks by 9 in Mitchell’s 40:02 as a reserve. An enormous key to his contributions was a flurry of 3s in time beyond regulation to maintain Miami forward. He hit 4 3s for the sport, together with three over a couple of three-minute span within the closing interval. Mitchell has been an important cause for Miami’s playoff push, given his mixture of floor-spacing, defensive contributions and power.
It was nearly a tricky loss for the Warmth, who led the NBA with 28 clutch-time losses within the common season, however they continued a powerful run of basketball in current weeks. Miami has ten wins in 14 contests since snapping its 10-game dropping streak on March 23. — James Jackson, NBA employees editor
Hawks couldn’t escape Warmth
The Hawks fought valiantly however didn’t fairly have sufficient in an time beyond regulation loss to Miami that ended their season at 40-42. In the long run, they’d too little measurement, too little capturing, and never sufficient scoring punch, particularly after they misplaced Jalen Johnson to harm and traded De’Andre Hunter midseason.
Nonetheless, it’s arduous to name the season a failure. Dyson Daniels emerged as an elite defender, different younger gamers like Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu and Mo Gueye developed properly because the 12 months went on, and the Hawks turned De’Andre Hunter’s iffy contract into a number of draft belongings from Cleveland.
The crew is miles from contending, however they’re in a greater place than 12 months in the past. — John Hollinger, NBA senior author
Hawks’ focus strikes to their draft picks
Atlanta will lose its draft choose to San Antonio for the Dejounte Murray commerce, however Friday’s defeat additionally might have an effect on one other choose. Atlanta has a top-12 protected choose from Sacramento from the Kevin Huerter commerce which will or might not convey primarily based on different outcomes.
With the Grizzlies’ win and if the choose isn’t drawn into the highest 4 within the lottery, Atlanta will choose both thirteenth or 14th. Nevertheless, if the Dallas Mavericks beat Memphis, there can be a random drawing Monday to find out whether or not the choose from Sacramento lands twelfth or thirteenth earlier than the lottery. The Hawks would solely maintain the choose if it have been thirteenth following the lottery.
The Hawks will even have a late first-round choose from the Lakers from the commerce that despatched Murray to New Orleans for Daniels. — Hollinger
Will Trae Younger keep in Atlanta?
Essentially the most fast query heading into the offseason: What about Trae Younger’s future? The All-Star guard has one assured season left on his deal after this one and is eligible to signal an extension this summer time.
Does Atlanta wish to decide to him for a number of years on the max? Does Younger wish to keep? Are they involved about taking place that highway whereas making an attempt to develop the remainder of the younger core? If not, is there a commerce right here that is smart?
Many comparable questions can be requested within the coming weeks. — Hollinger
(Picture: Petre Thomas / Imagn Photos)
