Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
The Hawks outlast the Heat and the Lakers survive in OT as the 2023 postseason begins.
Hawks grab East’s 7th seed with 116-105 win over Heat
Last season, the Miami Heat took the Atlanta Hawks to task in the first round of the playoffs, handling business in just five games. Trae Young and company — under new leadership in their postseason-tested head coach Quin Snyder — were hell-bent on ensuring that the same disappointing result did not come in this year’s play-in tournament. Young scored 25 points, Dejounte Murray added 18, and Clint Capela pulled down 21 rebounds as the Hawks all-but cruised past the Heat and into a first-round date with the Boston Celtics.
As much as this was Atlanta’s game to lose for much of the action — they led by as many as 24 points and overall just seemed to have Miami’s number — the Heat did everything in their limited power to make things interesting in the second half. They cut the Hawks’ lead to 15 by halftime and opened the third on a 16-6 run, bringing the Heat within five. But Atlanta answered each Miami run, and given their 63-39 advantage on the boards, the Hawks gave themselves every advantage over the course of the contest.
Kyle Lowry was the almost-hero for the Heat, scoring 33 points to lead all scorers. It was the most points he’s scored as a member of the Heat in two seasons. Tyler Herro scored 26 points but shot two-of-nine from three, while Jimmy Butler finished with 21 points. The Heat will host either Toronto or Chicago on Friday to decide who gets the final playoff spot in the East and heads to Milwaukee on Sunday.
Atlanta, meanwhile, begins its series against Boston on Saturday. Buckle up.
Lakers outlast T-Wolves in OT thriller, 108-102, will face Memphis in Round 1
Given everything that Minnesota has, um, “been through” over the last few days — not to mention the ridicule the Wolves have (deservedly) garnered given the dumbfounding number of assets they sent out in exchange for Rudy Gobert — I guess it’s only fair that the Lakers handed them a ninth life in regulation. With 0.1 seconds remaining, Anthony Davis backed into Mike Conley as he launched a desperation three while trailing by three, thus sending Conley to the line with a chance to tie it and send the game to overtime.
Conley, a career 82-percent free-throw shooter, naturally knocked down all three. To overtime we went.
The Wolves missed 11 consecutive shots before Anthony Edwards’ dunk with 2:36 left in overtime. Edwards scored just nine points – more than 15 below his average – and left the court briefly in the second half to get tape on his left shoulder after taking an early fall.
Schröder stepped up tremendously for D’Angelo Russell, who had a nightmare game for Los Angeles against the team that traded him in February. Russell had eight assists, but scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting before getting benched down the stretch.
Once there, the Wolves couldn’t hit water if they were to fall out of a boat, at least until Anthony Edwards finished off a dunk with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the extra period. Edwards had a nightmare game, especially considering the stakes: he scored just nine points on three-of-17 shooting. Thankfully, Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points and 11 rebounds), Conley (23 points), and Kyle Anderson (12 points and 13 assists) picked up the slack, but it wasn’t enough.
LeBron James had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers, while Anthony Davis made up for his late blunder by scoring a total of 24 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Dennis Schröder was the real spark, scoring 21 points, 18 of which came in the second half and overtime. The Lakers will face Memphis in the first round, a series that starts on Sunday.
Minnesota, meanwhile, will host New Orleans or Oklahoma City on Friday to decide who wins a first-round date with the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, also starting on Sunday.
