- Miami Heat 109, Chicago Bulls 90
- Dallas Mavericks 120, Sacramento Kings 106
- Mavericks use huge 2nd quarter to cruise past Kings: The Mavs went from down two to up by 23 in the span of 12 minutes thanks to a second-quarter eruption fueled by Klay Thompson. Thompson’s 16 points in the second quarter were part of a 44-point outburst in the period. The Kings battled, but the Mavericks seemingly had an answer at every turn.
- Heat’s postseason toughness on display: The Heat’s regular season was an unpredictable rollercoaster but, with the postseason here, Miami was ready to meet the moment. Tyler Herro put on a show with 38 points and was perfect from the floor in the first half as Miami built a 24-point halftime advantage. Chicago fought to the end but Miami was simply too much for the young Bulls to handle tonight.
- Friday’s Play-In matchups are set: The Heat will travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks for the right to lock in the No.8 seed and play the top-seeded Cavaliers in the first round. The Mavericks also made a statement on the road tonight but will be at a rest disadvantage as they head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Friday.
- Tyler Herro, Miami Heat: 38 points, including 23 in the first half on a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor, in the win over the Bulls.
- Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks: 23 points (16 in 2Q) on 8-for-11 shooting (5-7 3Pt) in the win over the Kings.
- Brandon Williams, Dallas Mavericks: 17 points off the bench to go with five assists in the win over the Kings.
Mavericks defeat Kings 120-106
The Mavericks went into Sacramento and took down the Kings to keep their season alive. Now a matchup against the Grizzlies awaits them Friday in Memphis.
Dallas dominated in the second quarter (44-19) and managed to keep the Kings at bay for the second half to cruise to a comfortable 14-point victory.
The Grizzlies took three out of four from the Mavericks this season, including Sunday’s 132-97 result in Memphis’ favor. However, neither team was at full strength for that meeting. That said, the Grizzlies’ other two wins each came by double digits.
The Cap is cookin’ 👨🍳 pic.twitter.com/WmD5dpHvwd
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
😯 Gafford calls game?
Dallas big man, Daniel Gafford, went up for the slam to put the Mavericks back up by more than 20 with time winding down in Sacramento.
Dallas holds a significant least as we get to the final three minutes of tonight’s Play-In matchup.
Daniel Gafford with an EXCLAMATION over Sabonis 💥
Mavs putting finishing touches on this one ✅ pic.twitter.com/Ms9XzkQD3Q
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 17, 2025
👀 4th quarter time in Sacramento
The Kings trailed by as many as 26 in the third quarter but have fought their way off the ropes as we enter the fourth quarter with a 99-81 Mavericks advantage.
DeMar DeRozan is up to 28 points through three quarters and Zach LaVine has chipped in 15.
Anthony Davis has gotten in gear for the Mavericks after a slow start and is up to 21 points with six rebounds and two blocks.
Catch the fourth quarter on ESPN with a spot in the next SoFi Play-In stage on the line.
DANTREY 💦 pic.twitter.com/0HIgTgq4l1
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
😤 Big to Big
Anthony Davis set the table for Dereck Lively, who finished it off with a thunderous jam.
The Mavericks lead the Kings by 17 as we reach the midway point of the third quarter. Catch the action now on ESPN.
AD ⤴️ D-LIVE ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/QTkV9eZQom
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
⛰️ 2nd quarter Mavalanche
The Mavericks trailed 29-27 after the first quarter. Then the Mavericks dropped 44 points in the second to take a 71-48 lead into the locker room.
Klay Thompson leads all scorers with 16 while Brandon Williams has hit three 3’s off the bench to provide some extra spark.
The Kings will need to lock in their perimeter defense and pick up the pace on the offensive end coming out of halftime in this high-stakes elimination game.
Catch the second half on ESPN.
31 = HIM 🏹 pic.twitter.com/bLtcn3KXG1
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
🎯 Vintage Klay
Dallas’ Klay Thompson is putting on a show against a Sacramento team that is more than familiar with this scene from his time with the Warriors.
Klay has canned four triples so far in the first half and has a team-high 14 points. Perhaps most concerning for the Kings is Thompson has done all that damage from beyond the arc in a three-minute span. He’s heating up.
KLAY THOMPSON IS CATCHING FIRE ‼️
That’s 4 triples in a 3-minute span 👀 https://t.co/cweKm2LbEY pic.twitter.com/35VQwWxuM4
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
🔒 Brandon Williams is LOCKED IN
Dallas’ Brandon Williams is on fire to start tonight’s game with a perfect 3-for-3 mark from beyond the arc. Williams played in 33 games this season and averaged 8.3 points over 14.8 minutes. He has been instrumental in helping the Mavericks build a 12-point second-quarter lead in Sacramento.
Still going 🔥 https://t.co/ga6IIlIsD9 pic.twitter.com/OLmCy4iNjR
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
😲 Kings, Mavs battling through 1Q
The Kings hold a narrow, 29-27 lead over the visiting Mavericks after one quarter in tonight’s SoFi Play-In game.
Sacramento has done a great job defensively on Anthony Davis thus far, holding The Brow to four points on 2-for-9 shooting through one. It will be a challenge to keep a lid on him the rest of the way, though.
DeMar DeRozan has provided the scoring for Sacramento with nine points to go with two rebounds and an assist.
Catch the second quarter now on ESPN.
DIFFICULT triple from DeRozan 😳
Both teams are LOCKED IN for this #SoFiPlayIn affair 🔒 pic.twitter.com/IIl3E7VtO8
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 17, 2025
🏃 Off and running in Sacramento
The season is on the line for the Mavericks and Kings tonight and the two teams are bringing the intensity early.
In our SoFi Play-In Tournament preview for tonight, Shaun Powell detailed the key matchup between Dallas’ Anthony Davis and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis down low. The battle is living up to the hype so far.
Tune into ESPN to catch the action
P.J. Washington ACTIVE early 😤
Mavs and Kings going at it early in this #SoFiPlayIn matchup pic.twitter.com/dhsaIRYfDM
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 17, 2025
🍿 Heat-Hawks set for Friday
The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls in Wednesday’s SoFi Play-In Game to keep their season alive, but there’s still another hurdle to earn a playoff spot.
The Atlanta Hawks, who fell to the Orlando Magic in their Play-In game Tuesday night, will host Friday night’s high-stakes clash.
The Hawks and Heat split their season series at two games apiece with the Heat winning the two most recent matchups.
It’s a star-studded matchup to kick off Friday’s Play-In action. Tyler Herro is coming off a terrific performance against the Bulls while Trae Young leads the charge for the Hawks. The Heat had Young’s number in the regular season, holding the star to 17 points per game on 35 percent shooting, both of which are well below his season averages. Young will need to come up big if the Hawks are to defend their nest and keep their season alive Friday night.
The winner will take on top-seeded Cavaliers.
🔥 Herro propels Heat to 8th seed game
Heat 109, Bulls 90
Tyler Herro set the tone tonight with a perfect 8-for-8 first half, which was good for 23 points. The Heat led by 24 at the break and though the Bulls battled in the second half, Miami was simply too much.
Herro finished the night with 38 points, five rebounds, four assists and a block while shooting 68 percent from the floor.
Zooming out, the Heat finished the night shooting 49.4 percent from the field while holding the Bulls under 40 percent from the floor.
Miami dominated in key facets of the game such as points in the paint (56-40) and 2nd chance points (17-9).
With the win, the Heat advance and will travel to Atlanta to take on the division rival Hawks for the right to lock down the No.8 seed in the East.
38 FOR TYLER pic.twitter.com/o908JCO9Th
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 17, 2025
🍿 Winning time at the United Center
The Heat take a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter of tonight’s SoFi Play-In game against the Bulls. Tyler Herro continues to shine with 31 points on 73 percent shooting from the floor along with some nifty assists.
It may be a 14-point game with 12 to go, but it’s worth noting that the Bulls outscored the Heat 27-17 in the third to cut into the lead.
We’ve got a good fourth quarter on tap. Flip over to ESPN to catch the finish.
Talen Horton-Tucker fadeaway at the buzzer to close the 3Q 😤 pic.twitter.com/kgxNhVbgiQ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 17, 2025
📸 Kings, Mavs in the building
Anthony Davis getting set for his first postseason game as a Maverick
AD IN THE BUILDING 😤
Mavs/Kings | #SoFiPlayIn at 10pm/et on ESPN pic.twitter.com/2GVvl39Dua
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
You gotta raise your drip game for the SoFi Play-In. The Mavs understood the assignment.
Clock in, lock in.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/nuacXFr7WG
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
The Kings are getting ready to defend their turf.
fitted for the postseason ✨
Nice Drip presented by @MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/Ub8qpSfbui
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 17, 2025
💪 Rook getting playoff reps
Chicago rookie Matas Buzelis is trying to will the Bulls back into tonight’s SoFi Play-In matchup against the Heat with a strong start to the third quarter. He hit buckets on back-to-back possessions to get to nine points on the night to go with five boards and two assists.
The Bulls are cutting into their 24-point halftime deficit but still have a hill to climb as we hit the midway point of the third quarter.
Buzelis back-to-back buckets to breathe some life into the Chicago offense 💪 pic.twitter.com/JsJZxZnRWg
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 17, 2025
🔥Heat up big at half over Bulls
Miami leads 71-47 over Chicago at the break
The Heat got off to a hot start and didn’t slow down as they put together one of their best offensive halves of the year at an opportune time. Miami shot 58.7 percent from the floor and 55.6 percent from deep to storm out to a 24-point lead on the road.
Tyler Herro has been the story thus far on a perfect shooting half. He has 23 points on 8-8 FG, 3-3 3Pt, and 4-4 FT. Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins also scored in double figures in the first half.
The pressure is now on the Bulls to make a major comeback in front of the home crowd and keep their season alive.
MAKE THAT 8/8 FOR 23 PTS 🙌
Herro showing up in the must-win game! https://t.co/qlS2P3UhLX pic.twitter.com/mZzPpqgoXT
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
👀 Play of the night (so far)
Miami’s Tyler Herro (23 Pts) still hasn’t missed from the floor or the line tonight but perhaps his most impressive play was this laserbeam to Kel’el Ware in transition for the easy flush.
Herro threads the needle with a BULLET for the Kel’el Ware dunk 🔥@MiamiHEAT cooking so far in this one 😤 pic.twitter.com/k0uH3cRARS
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 17, 2025
We need another angle. Luckily we have one.
“WATCH HIS EYES”
Herro threading the needle in #SoFiPlayIn action on ESPN 👀 pic.twitter.com/T7G0Rbjm7Z
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
😂 QB1 finds his target
Chicago Bears’ quarterback, Caleb Williams, is in the house to support the Bulls tonight. One fan got quite the souvenir from Williams as he launched one from courtside to way upstairs. We’re not sure if the T-shirt cannon could have reached that section, but Williams could.
Caleb Williams LAUNCHED this 🚀@ChicagoBears @CALEBcsw pic.twitter.com/3HI55xaMfu
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 17, 2025
🚨 Bulls’ Buzelis: Buzzer Beater
Say that five times fast
Bulls rookie, Matas Buzelis, just got it off in time to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter and give the Bulls a boost.
As close as it can get 😰 https://t.co/1oFgVYRHG8 pic.twitter.com/fhnzjEGhwH
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
🦸♂ Herro putting on the cape
Miami’s Tyler Herro turned in a terrific first quarter to help fuel a 39-25 lead over the Bulls. Herro went for 16 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor while also adding two assists.
The Heat shot 60.9 percent from the floor as a team and went 6-for-9 from deep to jump out to the early advantage.
TYLER HERRO CATCHING FIRE IN THE 1ST 🔥
16 PTS, 6-6 FGM in #SoFiPlayIn action on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/F7bPWB7OL1
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
Josh Giddey led the way in the scoring column for the Bulls with 13 first-quarter points. Tune into ESPN now to catch the second quarter.
😤 Bam Slam
Miami’s Bam Adebayo has just two points thus far but we’re awarding some additional style points for this jam in traffic.
The Heat have opened a 19-10 lead as we reach the midway point of the first quarter.
Herro ➡️ Bam for the slam early 😤#SoFiPlayIn on ESPN pic.twitter.com/nSgeRWhCX6
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2025
🐂 Bulls vs Heat preview
The Bulls and Heat are battling to keep their seasons alive tonight at the United Center. The winner will advance to the Play-In final, where they will play the Hawks on Friday. View the SoFi Play-In Bracket to see the entire playoff picture.
The Bulls went 3-0 vs the Heat this season with the most recent matchup coming April 9, when Chicago won 119-111 at the United Center. Their average margin of victory against the Heat was 7.33 points, so each game was competitive.
Check out our full Bulls vs Heat preview for more matchup info before tip.
👑 Kings vs Mavericks preview
In the nightcap, the Kings and Mavericks will play in an elimination game where the winner advances to play the Grizzlies on Friday and the loser will have their season come to a close.
The Kings won all three games against the Mavericks and all of them had markedly different results. Sacramento throttled Dallas 122-98 in the most recent matchup but the Mavs were without Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL early in that contest. The second meeting went to overtime and the first meeting was all the way back in December, when the Kings won by 10.
Both teams went 6-9 over their last 15 games of the regular season. Both teams are used to playing close games, too. The Kings ranked 5th in the NBA with 42 games that qualified as clutch situations while the Mavericks ranked ninth with 40 such games.
Check out our Kings vs Mavericks preview for a full matchup breakdown before things get underway at 10 ET on ESPN.
📰 Top NBA storylines tonight
- SoFi Play-In Tournament Continues: After an exciting first night in which the Magic and Warriors locked up playoff spots, Wednesday night’s action features a pair of elimination games.
- Heat vs Bulls tips off the action: The Bulls (No.9 Seed) host the Heat (No.10) in an elimination game to get things started tonight. Chicago swept the season series between these two but the Play-In is a whole new ballgame.
- Kings vs Mavs in the nightcap: The Kings are looking to light the beam and keep their season alive while the Mavericks look to turn things around after dropping four of their last five to finish the regular season.
