Are the Miami Heat out of the playoffs after losing to Hawks in Play-In Tournament?

The Miami Heat lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in the Play-In Tournament. Are the Heat now out of the NBA Playoffs after the loss?

Despite being the No. 7 seed and playing at home in the Play-In Tournament for a spot in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat saw the Atlanta Hawks come to South Beach as the hungrier team on Tuesday night.

Atlanta built up a nine-point lead in the first quarter and were up by more than 20 points in the second period. To their credit, the Heat fought back and continued to try and chip away at the deficit against the Hawks. However, it wasn’t enough.

After Tyler Herro missed a 3-point attempt off of a steal in the final minute, the fate of the Heat was sealed in the contest. With the win, the Hawks punched their ticket to the first round of the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the bracket.

But fans are asking a crucial question: What does this mean for the Miami Heat? Are they eliminated from the playoffs after the loss to the Hawks?

Are Miami Heat eliminated from playoffs after loss to Hawks?

The Heat aren’t out of the 2023 NBA Playoffs after the loss to Atlanta. In the Play-In Tournament format, the winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game earns the No. 7 seed in the bracket, but the loser still has one chance to earn the No. 8 seed in the bracket.

On Wednesday night, the No. 9 and 10 seeds from the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls, respectively, will face off. The winner of that game will face the Heat in Miami on Friday night while the loser of that game will, in fact, be eliminated.

So the Miami Heat aren’t eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the Hawks. But now they are in a win-or-go-home situation on Friday night when they face either the Raptors or Bulls.