The Miami Heat need a hero if they want to advance to the playoffs, and that’s certainly what they got on Wednesday night.
Star guard Tyler Herro had a hyper-efficient showing as he guided the Heat to a 109-90 win over the Chicago Bulls to advance in the Play-In tournament and book a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks for the East’s eighth seed.
Herro was lights out in the first half, scoring 23 of his 38 points while shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep. He wound up finishing the outing shooting 13-for-19 from the field to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Star teammates Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins added 15 and 20 points, respectively.
Miami came out hotter than hot out of the gate, scoring 39 points in the first quarter to establish a quick 11-point lead. They only increased that gap in the second, outscoring the Bulls 32-19 in the frame to head into the half up 24 points.
Though the Bulls rallied in the third quarter behind solid contributions from their starting five, it was too little, too late, as Miami held on for the win.
The Heat, who finished the season as the East’s 10th seed with a 37-45 record, will now advance to the second round of the Play-In to take on the Atlanta Hawks, who lost to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
Should the Heat win, they would advance to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the East and book a first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It would be the first time in Play-In history that a 10th seed advances to the playoffs.