Dwyane Wade had plenty to smile about as his former team, the Miami Heat, pulled off a stellar win to keep their postseason dreams alive. The Heat had no margin for error tonight against the Atlanta Hawks. With everything on the line, they delivered a 123-114 overtime win against the Hawks to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Advertisement
In the win-or-go-home battle, Tyler Herro dropped 30 points for his team with eight rebounds and seven steals. The Heat tormented the Hawks in overtime, outscoring them 17-8.
Davion Mitchell was the biggest surprise in overtime. He made several key plays to give his team the advantage, he grabbed rebounds when they needed them the most, and made clutch threes to seal the victory, dropping 15 in the second half+OT. In the final minute of overtime, Mitchell started a sequence after missing a three-point opportunity.
He went on to grab the rebound, and a total of five passes were made before the ball came back into his hands, at the same position. This time, he drained the three and put up the final scoreline on the board. Herro was very pleased by Mitchell’s performance. While being the lead scorer himself, he heaped praise on the 26-year-old.
This Davion Mitchell sequence is nuts, all effort and hustle. pic.twitter.com/OJzLwmWFHg
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) April 19, 2025
Herro said, “He’s a dog, he’s a pitbull. He needs to be on 1st, 2nd, or 3rd all-defensive team, and I’m glad he’s with us.” The guard wasn’t the only one in awe of Mitchell’s clutch performance. Heat legend Dwyane Wade couldn’t contain his excitement after seeing his former franchise put up a clinical performance.
Wade wrote, “HERRO!!!! MITCHELL!!! Straight hooping!” Mitchell finished the game with 16 points, three rebounds, and five assists and was the key player in overtime. Four other Heat stars put up points in double digits on the board tonight to knock the Atlanta Hawks out of playoff contention.
HERRO!!!! MITCHELL!!! Straight hooping!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 19, 2025
DWade rushing to social media to congratulate his team is a sweet sight, especially considering he’s a minority owner of another franchise, the Utah Jazz. However, his emotions are understandable as he is the greatest player in the history of the Miami franchise.
After this win, the Heat will gear up to face the strongest team in the East in the first round. Guard play from the Heat has gone up a notch which would help stave off the two-headed offensive monster that is Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Unfortunately, despite Bam Adebayo’s defensive prowess, his interior effectiveness would be dulled out due to the Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley frontcourt tandem. Although it’ll be difficult to get past the Cavs in the series, the Heat can surely grab a few dubs if they play the same way they did tonight.