Everyone who could take the floor in Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament knew what was at stake as the Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans games took place. It was either win and earn the eighth seed in your respective conference or end the season and go home for good.
The Heat got the memo early on, eliminating the Bulls with ease. Miami is an obvious winner, but who else were the biggest winners and losers from Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament finale?
Winner: Tyler Herro
The leading scorer from the Heat’s suffocating 112-91 win over the Bulls, Tyler Herro didn’t just have 24 points, he also nearly messed with a triple-double, leading the Heat with 10 rebounds and nine assists too. He was the biggest reason Miami earned a playoff spot on Friday.
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Loser: Billy Donovan
While the Heat had seven more regular season wins, the Bulls were the better team on paper heading into the NBA Play-In Tournament finale. Without Jimmy Butler, most assumed the Heat didn’t stand a chance, but, as predicted, Erik Spoelstra had his players ready to play, and got out to an early wo-point lead. While the Bulls have dealt with injuries, Billy Donovan’s time as Chicago’s head coach could be coming to an end.
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Winner: Jimmy Butler
Once Jimmy Butler was ruled out of Friday’s game with an MCL injury, many thought the Miami Heat’s playoff hopes were doomed. But now that the Heat advance to the first round, it cracks open a small window of opportunity for Butler to possibly return if Miami can somehow fend off the top-seeded Boston Celtics. Butler likely needs several weeks to recover, but a Round 2 return would give him roughly three weeks to heal.
Loser: Coby White
Ayo Dosunmu laying an egg with 10 points while shooting 3-of-15 deserves to be talked about too, but we had even higher expectations for Coby White after he averaged 19.1 PPG this season. Instead, White struggled too, shooting just 31.2% from the floor while chipping in 13 points and committing four turnovers. In the biggest game of his career, White couldn’t deliver, so he takes an L for this one.
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Winner: Erik Spoelstra
We feel ridiculous for ever doubting the great Erik Spoelstra. There’s a reason the Heat have only missed the playoffs three times in his 16 seasons as a head coach. This man’s a basketball genius who knows how to get the most out of the talent on hand. But now he’ll have his biggest challenge yet, taking on the best team in the NBA in the Boston Celtics.
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Winner: Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson wasn’t able to help his Pelicans defeat the Kings, but his hamstring injury isn’t believed to be serious. This means we could see the former No. 1 pick return in time for New Orleans’ battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first-round playoff matchup. If so, the Pelicans will be getting a big boost from their best player.
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Loser: Keegan Murray, Kings supporting cast
The Kings wouldn’t have reached the Play-In stage without Keegan Murray’s excellent 32-point night in Tuesday’s win over the Warriors. But he was also a big reason why the Kings got eliminated by the Pelicans. Murray struggled with his shot all night, finishing with just 11 points while shooting 4-of-12 from the floor. It didn’t help that Keon Ellis went scoreless in 28 minutes, or seeing Trey Lyles and Alex Len put up goose eggs too. Aside from Sasha Vezenkov’s two points, Davion Mitchell’s ten points were all Sacramento got from their bench contributors. They missed Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter in a big way.
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Winner: Brandon Ingram
While he wasn’t the game’s leading scorer, De’Aaron Fox took home those honors, Brandon Ingram brought his ‘A’ game to the Smoothie King Center. Ingram led the Pels with 24 points while chipping in six assists and six rebounds and he even added a block to the mix. He was a big reason why New Orleans clinched a playoff spot on Friday night.
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Loser: Sacramento Kings fans
Mike Brown sparked a quick turnaround since becoming the Kings head coach in 2022, but after back-to-back seasons that have provided more excitement than Sacramento has seen for decades, seeing them fall short in the Play-In Tournament feels like a disappointment. Winning 46 games should be enough to secure a playoff spot, but the Western Conference is just too good this year. The good news is this roster is young enough to bounce back next year after making some changes.
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Winner: Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas may be listed at ‘only’ 6-foot-11, but the lengthy Lithuanian clearly causes a lot of problems with his size. That was evident against Domantas Sabonis and the Kings, where Valanciunas recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds plus two blocks. If this same version of Valanciunas shows up in OKC, Chet Holmgren could face trouble.
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