Heat and Pelicans Win Two Final NBA Playoff Tickets

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This is the second straight time the Heat have won the eighth seed through the play-in tournament. They will also meet the Celtics for the fourth time in the last five seasons in the play-offs.

Butler suffered a knee injury during a match against the Philadelphia 76ers and is expected to be absent for several weeks. Losing the 34-year-old player is a heavy blow for the Heat. Butler led the Heat to two NBA finals, including eliminating the Celtics last season in the Eastern Conference finals.

Coach of Heat, Erik Spoelstra, stated that their team has backup players who are capable of replacing the role of Buttler. This was proven with their dominant victory over the Bulls.

Point guard Tyler Herro was the mainstay for scoring with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. He is supported by rookie player Jaime Jaquez Jr and veteran power forward Kevin Love.

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Jaquez had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while Love, off the bench, had 16 points and 7 rebounds. The Heat were also without point guard Terry Rozier, who is still out due to a neck injury.

Although not fortified with their star player, the Heat immediately stepped on the gas since the first quarter and took a significant lead of 34-17. The lead was never threatened with the brilliant performance of the substitute players, and they were ahead 47-37 in the first half of the match.

We support each other. We all want to make theplayoffs. We do it by playing well, supporting each other, helping in defence, in attack, sharing the ball.

Demar DeRozan became the Bulls' top scorer with 22 points, but they were never able to turn the game around in the second half.

Herro stated that he is determined to replace Butler's contribution during the star's absence. "Many people say that the result of a match is determined by how many points someone scores. I don't think that's Jimmy Butler. He has an impact on the game in many ways, through assists, through proper gameplay. I want to be like Jimmy, playing well," he said.

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Of course, it is not easy to replace Buttler's role. Moreover, the Celtics have better player resources compared to last season. Their game has also developed, proven by their record of the most victories in the regular season, with 64 wins.

Meanwhile, Williamson's absence did not affect the Pelicans' game too much thanks to the presence of Brandon Ingram who scored 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists against the Kings. Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds to clinch a playoff berth with a 105-98 win.

"We support each other. We all want to make theplayoffs. We do it by playing well, supporting each other, helping in defence, in attack, sharing the ball. "It's really fun to play like that," Valanciunas said.

Williamson was unable to play due to a left hamstring injury he suffered in the previous game's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only Ingram and Valanciunas, but other players played a big role in the Pelicans' victory. Six players were able to score 10 or more points, including Larry Nance Jr (13), Naji Marshall (11), and Jose Alvarado (10).

"You got 34 points from the bench. It was a good night for them, but difficult for us," said Kings Coach Mike Brown commenting on his team's defeat. (AP/AFP)