2025 SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament: Your guide to Friday’s matchups by John Schuhmann
East: (10) Miami Heat at (8) Atlanta Hawks
Inside the NBA PREVIEWS Heat vs Hawks Play-In
Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks – Full Game Highlights | April 18, 2025 | 2025 NBA Play-in Tournament
Keep your eye on: Defending Trae Young in the pick-and-roll
The Heat can assign an initial defender to Young, and that would likely be Andrew Wiggins if they start the same group that started in Chicago on Wednesday. But the more important question is how they defend the pick-and-roll, with Young having had 3,495 ball-screens (774 more than any other player) set for him this season.
Young is more effective as a passer than as a shooter, and the Orlando Magic succeeded on Tuesday by taking away his assist opportunities. Young shot just 8-for-21 and his 18 passes that led to a shot were tied for his sixth fewest all season, per Second Spectrum tracking. The Heat can also limit Young’s effectiveness by switching, but that could leave them vulnerable at the rim or on the glass.
Key matchup: Tyler Herro vs. Dyson Daniels
Nobody defended Herro this season more than Daniels, even though he missed the first of the four head-to-head meetings. He’ll surely have the assignment again on Friday, and the Heat will surely try to detach the Kia Defensive Player of the Year candidate from their leading scorer.
Expect Young to be put into action on that end of the floor. Alec Burks (the starter Young will likely be defending) has set just 19 ball-screens for Herro all season, but six of those were in games against the Hawks. Young will need to hold up Herro long enough for Daniels to get back in front, and if Daniels can stay attached, Miami could struggle offensively.
Prediction: Hawks
The home team won all four regular-season meetings between these teams, with the difference being entirely about the Heat’s end of the floor. They scored 99.5 points per 100 possessions over the two games in Atlanta, but 132.5 per 100 over the two in Miami, shooting a ridiculous 41-for-75 (55%) from 3-point range. Davion Mitchell and Haywood Highsmith were a combined 16-for-20 from beyond the arc in those two games.
The Heat don’t need to replicate that kind of offensive success to win in Atlanta on Friday, but the Hawks should have a few more options on offense. They should feel relatively free on that end of the floor after Orlando’s second-ranked defense clamped down on them earlier this week. To read more, go to the link below:
https://www.nba.com/news/2025-nba-playoffs-play-in-preview-3
