In tonight’s Play-In finales, the Hawks host the Heat for the East 8 seed, while the Mavs visit the Grizzlies with the West 8 seed on the line.
With the pressure rising, who will stay cool and grab the final Playoff spots?
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 18, 2025
East Play-In: Heat & Hawks split their season series 2-2, tonight’s winner gets the 8 seed
West Play-In: Grizzlies & Mavs meet in Memphis to decide the 8 seed in the West
Who Faces Cleveland? How the Hawks & Heat match up with the East 1-seed Cavs
Who Faces OKC? How the Grizzlies & Mavs stack up with the West 1-seed Thunder
Saturday First Look: The 2025 Playoffs tip off Saturday with four Game 1s
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The Playoff Picture will be completed tonight…
Can the Heat or Mavs become the first 10th-place team to reach the Playoffs via the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament?
Find out tonight when the Hawks host the Heat (7 ET, TNT) and the Grizzlies host the Mavs (9:30 ET, ESPN) with the 8 seeds in both conferences on the line.
1. WIN OR GO HOME: HAWKS HOST HEAT FOR EAST 8 SEED
The pressure of the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament peaks tonight. It’s do or die for Atlanta and Miami as they enter their fifth meeting of 2024-25 – this time hunting the 8th and final seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs (7 ET, TNT).
These squads split the season series, but coach Erik Spoelstra’s crew claimed the latter two contests by double digits on Feb. 26 and Mar. 27.
Both are stalwarts on this stage. The 8th-seed Hawks and 10th-seed Heat are playing their league-high sixth games across the six-year history of the Play-In. Miami fought its way to the No. 8 seed in 2023 and 2024.
- Force Meets Force: Tyler Herro lit the hoop on fire Wednesday with 38 points on 13-for-19 shooting to extend Miami’s season. Now he goes head-to-head with a premier defender in Dyson Daniels and his 229 steals – the most in a season since 1995-96
- A Rarity: Daniels failed to register a steal for the first time since Dec. 11 in the Hawks’ loss to the Magic. That marked his fourth such zero in 2024-25, and only once were those tallied consecutively during the regular season
- Heating Up: Herro could be poised for another big night. He dropped 36 against Atlanta in their most recent clash after scoring 24 on Feb. 26 and 11 on Feb. 24
Miami’s defense, meanwhile, will be tested by Trae Young’s potent combination of scoring (24.2 ppg) and playmaking (11.6 apg). The 7th-year guard topped the league for the latter figure.
- Proof Is In The Points: The Heat have a knack for limiting the All-Star’s offensive prowess. In three of the four meetings in 2024-25, he was held to less than 20 points and 35% shooting each time
- Ole’ Reliable: But if tonight gets tight late in the 4th quarter, Young might just enter his element. He racked up the 3rd-most clutch points this season (152) and led Atlanta to 21 wins in such situations
2. WIN OR GO HOME: MAVS VISIT GRIZZLIES FOR WEST 8 SEED
The final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs is there for the taking as 8th-seed Memphis welcomes 10th-seed Dallas to close out the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament (9:30 ET, ESPN).
Memphis has solved the Dallas formula more often than not, winning three of their four regular-season faceoffs.
Though the Grizzlies have appeared in four Play-In games since its inception, it’s the Mavericks who are tested-and-true, going 6-2 in winner-take-all scenarios since 2000.
- Spotless: Davis has never lost through four Play-In games in his career. He pitched in 27 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday’s win over Sacramento, and averaged 23 ppg, 14 rpg and 2.3 blk across three with the Lakers
- Davis vs. Memphis: Before his midseason trade to Dallas, the 10-time All-Star put up 30.5 ppg and 15 rpg in two outings against Memphis – outdoing his season-long marks of 24.7 and 11.6, respectively
Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images
A healthy lineup for the Mavericks looms large. Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington are all available alongside Davis for just the fourth time in 2024-25.
That constitutes a test for 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie center Zach Edey in the paint, but they’ve proved to handle challenges well together.
- Out Of The Cage: When Edey and Jackson Jr. share the floor, the Grizzlies’ defensive rating jumps to 105.6
- Options Aplenty: Five different players scored 14 or more for Memphis in its loss to Golden State on Tuesday, headlined by Desmond Bane’s 30-piece
- Board Bear: Edey has reeled in rebound after rebound as of late – most recently a team-high 17 in his first-ever postseason action. He’s submitted 15+ in five of his last seven games
3. WHAT’S NEXT: HOW HEAT & HAWKS MATCH UP WITH CAVS
Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
What lies ahead for the winner of tonight’s Heat-Hawks matchup?
A date with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who ruled the Eastern Conference since taking over first place for good on Oct. 30.
- The Cavs won the East with 64 wins to only 18 defeats and became only the 2nd team in NBA history with three win streaks of 12+ games
- However, the Heat and Hawks were two of the seven Eastern Conference teams to beat the Cavs this season, with Atlanta joining Boston and Indy as the only ones to beat Cleveland more than once
While the key efficiency stats – offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating – highly favor the Cavs, where do the Hawks and Heat have matchups or style of play differences that could give them an advantage?
For Atlanta, the key matchup to watch is Trae Young and Dyson Daniels against Cleveland’s All-Star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
- Leaders: The Hawks have the league leader in assists (Young, 11.6) and steals (Daniels, 3.0), with both players setting up easy scoring opportunities for Atlanta
- Assisting: The Hawks ranked 3rd in the NBA in points created by assists (75.5 ppg). A key to those points? Creating open shots. Atlanta’s 25.1 wide-open shot attempts per game (closest defender 6+ feet away) ranked 5th in the NBA
- Defense To Offense: The Hawks ranked 2nd in steals (9.7) and 6th in opponent turnover percentage (15.4%) and turned those miscues into 19.1 points off turnovers (5th in NBA)
Nick Cammett/Getty Images
For Miami, can Tyler Herro be the best guard and Bam Adebayo be the best big on the court against the depth and talent on the Cavs’ roster?
- Herro led all players in scoring in the season series (28 ppg in 2 games) – 34 in Miami’s lone win and 22 in a loss. Herro had 38 in Miami’s 9-vs-10 Play-In win and will need to lead the Heat offense
- Adebayo led all players in rebounding (11.3 rpg in 3 games) and ranked 3rd in scoring (23.7 ppg in 3 games) while putting up 55.6 FG%-53.8 3P%-93.3 FT% shooting splits against the Cavs’ frontline of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen
4. WHAT NEXT: HOW MAVS & GRIZZLIES MATCH UP WITH OKC
The NBA’s best team during the regular season – the 68-14 Oklahoma City Thunder – will be the last to know its first Playoff opponent as they await the results of Friday’s nightcap.
When it comes to preparing for either the Mavs or Grizzlies, both potential opponents offer differing strengths to challenge OKC.
- OKC set the NBA record for point differential this season, outscoring opponents by 12.9 ppg. However, Dallas was one of only two teams to win the season series with OKC (3-1) and one of four handing OKC a negative differential (-0.5)
- All four matchups with Dallas were prior to the trade in February that reshaped the Mavs’ roster. If they make it through, can the new-look Mavs maintain that success against OKC?
Battle of the Bigs: After Dallas eliminated OKC to reach the West Finals last season, the Thunder answered by signing Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason to pair with Chet Holmgren on the Thunder frontline.
- Mavs Add AD: Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II already proved to be a bear to face during last year’s Finals run. With the addition of Davis, the Mavs can put out multiple twin tower lineups to take advantage of smaller teams
- A New Chapter? The legend of Game 6 Klay began in OKC in 2016 with a transcendent 41-point performance. Klay averaged just 10 ppg on 31.3% shooting in three games against OKC in his first year in Dallas, but had 23 in the Mavs’ first Play-In win on Wednesday
While the Mavs have three wins against the Thunder this season, the Grizzlies have dropped nine straight to OKC, with Memphis’ last win coming on Dec. 7, 2022.
If these teams meet in the First Round, the guard matchup between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ja Morant will be the key one to watch.
- Driving Forces: SGA (15.5) and Ja (10.7) rank 1st and 4th, respectively, in points per game coming on drives. They hold the same ranks among all guards in points in the paint. However…
- Rim Protectors: OKC’s Holmgren (44.0% allowed, 1st) & Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. (54.0%, 10th) rank in the top 10 in rim protection among 99 players that faced at least 200 shots at the basket
- Strength vs. Strength: Memphis had the NBA’s 2nd highest scoring offense (121.7 ppg), but would face the league 3rd stingiest defense in OKC (107.6 ppg allowed)
5. FIRST LOOK AT SATURDAY’S FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Tonight’s Play-In finales will set the 16-team Playoff field, with the race to the Larry O’Brien Trophy beginning Saturday with a four-game slate.
Here’s a quick look at each matchup before we dive into them in more depth tomorrow.
(5) Bucks at (4) Pacers (1 ET, ESPN): Milwaukee and Indy meet in the First Round for the second straight season. After the 6-seed Pacers ousted the 3-seed Bucks a year ago, can the 5-seed Bucks return the favor against the 4-seed Pacers this time around?
- Growing Rivalry: These teams have met 15 times over the past two seasons (including Playoffs). Indy has a 9-6 edge in wins, but the teams are separated by a total of just nine points
- Without Dame: Since Damian Lillard was sidelined, Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 8.6 apg) carried the Bucks down the stretch, including eight straight wins to close the season
- With Dame? The Bucks announced on Thursday that Lillard had been cleared of the deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and will ramp up for a return, although he remains out for Game 1
- Dynamic Duo: Indiana (34-14) had the 4th best record from Jan. 1 though the end of the regular season. Tyrese Haliburton (19.5 ppg, 9.7 apg, 43.1% 3P) and Pascal Siakam (20.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) led six Pacers in double-digit scoring in that stretch
Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
(5) Clippers at (4) Nuggets (3:30 ET, ESPN): Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets host the red-hot Clippers (winners of eight straight) in their first Playoff meeting since the Nuggets’ 7-game win in the 2020 West Semis.
- The Bearded Klaw: James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have the 10th highest net rating among the 342 two-man lineups that have played 800+ minutes together this season
- Positive Note: After making a late-season coaching change, Denver won its final three games of the season under interim coach David Adelman to hold the 4-seed and home court in this series
Elsa/Getty Images
(6) Pistons at (3) Knicks (6 ET, ESPN): Back in the Playoffs for the first time since 2019, the Pistons are seeking their first Playoff win since 2008 (14 straight losses), while the Knicks try to break through after their last two seasons ended in the East semifinals.
- All-Star Guards: NY’s Jalen Brunson and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham are the engines for their respective squads. During four regular-season matchups, Cade had the edge in wins (3-1) and stats (30.8 ppg, 8.3 apg compared to Brunson’s 28.3 & 7.8)
- 3-Point Additions: Malik Beasley finished 2nd in 3s made (319) and 19th in 3P% (41.6%) in his first season in Detroit, while Karl-Anthony Towns shot 42.0% (16th) to stretch the floor and open the paint for slashers Josh Hart & OG Anunoby in his first year in NY
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
(6) Timberwolves at (3) Lakers (8:30 ET, ABC): For the first time in his career, LeBron James will open a Playoff series in Los Angeles when the Lakers host the Wolves in this primetime matchup.
- Ant vs. Luka Remix: A year ago, it was Luka Dončić and the Mavs that ended the Wolves’ Playoff run in the West Finals. Now Anthony Edwards gets another shot against Luka and his new squad in L.A.
- Chapter 18: Already the all-time leader in Playoff games (287) and points (8,162), LeBron James is set to tip off his 18th Playoff run, matching Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and trailing only 19 from Karl Malone and John Stockton for the most all-time
