After the clinching of the last two playoff places by the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the postseason lineup is officially complete.
Max Strus’s 31-point performance, fueled by seven three-pointers, was an unexpected highlight for the Miami Heat, despite Jimmy Butler scoring 31 points in the game. The resident sniper for the Heat scored 23 points in the first half of the game, which was the most of his damage.
Down the line, Butler and Strus were essential for the Heat, who ultimately secured the no. 8 spot in the tournament. They will have a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
After dominating the Thunder, the Timberwolves were awarded the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The team was led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. After serving a one-game ban, Rudy Gobert returned with a performance that included a double-double consisting of 21 points and ten rebounds.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points despite the fact that he only shot 5-for-19 from the field and went 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. The Timberwolves were able to contain him because of their zone defense.
The top-seeded Nuggets will be the opponent for the first-round meeting between Minnesota and another team.
The timely three-pointers and long bombs from Max Strus came in useful to rescue the season for the Heat and propel them into the playoffs. Overall, he shot 8 out of 16 and was 7 out of 12 from beyond the arc.
After scoring just three points in the previous game against the Hawks, he significantly improved in this game.
