Fallers from Chicago and Sacramento, the Heat and the Pelicans punched their ticket to the NBA play-offs on Friday during the final play-off matches.
Miami, NBA finalist last year, and New Orleans won the last two tickets for the NBA play-offs, during the last play-off matches won against Chicago and Sacramento on Friday.
Like last year, the Miami Heat won the 8th and final ticket for the Eastern Conference play-offs. In 2023, the Heat had multiplied the surprises, until the victory against the Boston Celtics in the conference final, before falling in the NBA final against the Denver Nuggets.
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Great architect of this crazy epic, Jimmy Butler was injured Wednesday during the defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first play-off match. Butler (34) suffers from a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, and his franchise has not announced a recovery time.
Without him, the Heat had no trouble crushing the Chicago Bulls at home (112-91), in the wake of Tyler Herro (24 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. (21 points ).
Miami will meet the Boston Celtics in the first round of the play-offs on Sunday.
The Celtics largely dominated the regular season (64 wins – 18 losses) and will want to take revenge for the final in the East last year. The task promises to be very difficult for the Heat, especially without Butler, facing a squad which was further strengthened last summer with Latvian pivot Kristaps Porzingis and leader Jrue Holiday.
The Pelicans move on without Zion
Despite the absence of their bulldozer Zion Williamson, dazzling but injured at the end of the match against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans dominated the Sacramento Kings without trembling at home (105-98).
The Pelicans took control in the second quarter, then counted up to 20 points in advance, to manage the end of the game, in the wake of Brandon Ingram (24 points) and Jonas Valanciunas (19 points, 12 rebounds ).
“I have more responsibility for scoring, I have to be more aggressive”when Williamson is not there, Ingram said.
Although author of 35 points for the Kings, De’Aaron Fox was clumsy from afar (4 out of 16), like his team (11 out of 41 at 26.8%).
New Orleans thus qualifies for the play-offs for only the second time in six years, and remains with a first round defeat against Phoenix for its last appearance in 2022.
Starting Sunday, the Pelicans will travel to the Oklahoma City Thunder. N.1 of the regular season in the West. The young Thunder team, however, lacks experience after three seasons without participating in the final phase.
Williamson, who has a left hamstring injury, is to be re-evaluated in “about two weeks”announced Wednesday his franchise, which can still hope to recover the young star (23 years old) for the first round if the series (best of seven matches) drags on.
