A super Anthony Davis is not enough: Dallas eliminated by Memphis, Miami moves to'OT over Atlanta

All the pairings of the 2025 NBA playoffs have officially been finalized. In fact, in the last round of play-ins, it was Memphis and Miami who pulled off the pass for the last available spots, eliminating Dallas and Atlanta, respectively.

At the FedEx Forum, the Grizzlies immediately redeemed the loss they suffered against Golden State and overwhelmed the Mavs with a peremptory 120-106, dragged by the combined 68 points of the Ja Morant-Desmond Bane-Jaren Jackson Jr. trio. Among the Texans’ ranks, however, the 40 points of an extraordinary Anthony Davis, who is also forced to leave the court prematurely due to yet another muscle injury, thus ending in the worst way a sportingly dramatic season for the franchise, which has gone decidedly into turmoil after the shocking trade of Luka Doncic and the serious injury of Kyre Irving.

More closely contested, however, was the challenge between Atlanta and Miami, which ended in OT with a score of 123-114. In the Heat, besides a 30-point Tyler Herro, the real star of the night was Davion Mitchell, who scored 9 of his 16 total points in overtime, allowing his team to post the decisive stretch. In the Hawks’ ranks, however, a 29-point, 11-assist double-double from Trae Young was not enough.

Thanks to these wins, Memphis and Miami have earned the right to face the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, respectively.