Four teams faced each other last night in the Eastern Conference play-ins to set up a thrilling Friday night before heading into the playoffs.
Philadelphia 76ers 105 Miami Heat 104
Nicolas Batum’s surprisingly impressive display aided the 76ers in their closely-fought victory over the Heat.
Tyrese Maxey started the first quarter strong at the heart of the attack scoring a lay-up and assisting Kyle Lowry’s three-point shot, but Jimmy Butler’s two steals in quick succession halted the gap between both sides.
In a tense opening twelve minutes, the Heat led by a single point moving into the second quarter.
Miami had extended their lead in dominant fashion heading into the break with great effort demonstrated in all areas of the court.
The home team came to life in the second half and tied the game with twelve minutes remaining after Joel Embiid’s uncontested three-pointer.
Tyler Herro had an exceptional game and scored from deep in the final moments, but Batum’s heroic block and Joel Embiid’s composure helped the 76ers hold on to the victory.
This result means that Philadelphia head into the playoffs as the seventh seed and the Heat must beat the Chicago Bulls to take the final spot.
Chicago Bulls 131 Atlanta Hawks 116
Coby White’s incredible 42-point game helped secure victory for the Bulls despite Trae Young and Clint Capela’s best efforts.
Chicago led by an astonishing 18 points at the end of the first quarter which solidified by Dalen Terry’s powerful dunk in the final seconds.
Dejounte Murray reached twenty points in the first half which assisted the Hawks’ shift in momentum.
Heading into the break, Atlanta had closed the gap to six points in a high-scoring 140-point game in only 24 minutes in.
White was unstoppable in the final two quarters, scoring highly contested layups and assisting teammates for easy buckets.
The Bulls were able to extend their lead convincingly to see out the game finish 15 points ahead of their opposition.
This result means that Chicago will take on the Heat for the eighth seed on Friday night and the Hawks have been eliminated from the tournament.
Upcoming games
There are only two games remaining in this year's play-in tournament, with the final spot in each conference up for grabs tomorrow.
The Heat and the Bulls kick start the final day in a highly anticipated matchup which could go either way.
Chicago have just come off the back of a comprehensive victory against an out-of-form Hawks side and will look to carry this momentum through to this game.
White and Nikola Vucevic put up great numbers with a combined 66 points, eight assists and 21 rebounds.
However, Herro and Butler looked dangerous on the attack and demonstrated moments of brilliance in their heartbreaking defeat to a strong 76ers team.
If the Bulls can carry momentum from their recent victory into this contest, another win could be on the cards.
Although, the Heats impressive league performances coming into the tournament and undeniably talented roster could make this a close affair.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings face each other later in the day to round off the Western Conference.
The Kings took victory over the Warriors in a surprisingly dominant display to reach this matchup.
Outstanding performances from Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox aided Sacramento in their win and have proven to be a difficult duo to contain.
The Pelicans came close to a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers but, despite Zion Williamson’s brilliant showing, were unsuccessful.
With Williamson looking unlikely to play because of an injury, this contest will be intriguing to watch and could go down to the wire.