April 17 (UPI) -- The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks raced out to large first-half leads before holding on to win their first games of the 2025 NBA play-in tournament while respectively eliminating the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings.
Anthony Davis poured in 27 points to lead the Mavericks to a 120-106 triumph over the Kings on Wednesday in Sacramento. The All-Star forward, who joined the Mavericks from the Los Angeles Lakers in February's blockbuster Luka Doncic trade, also chipped in nine rebounds and three blocks.
"We just tried to be physical with them, get stops on defense and just run," Davis told reporters. "The offense was clicking."
The Mavericks outshot the Kings 49.4% to 46.1%, including a 50% clip from 3-point range. They also totaled 29 assists and just nine turnovers. The Kings totaled 23 assists and 18 turnovers.
The lead changed hands six times in the first three minutes. The Mavericks used a 9-0 run to take command, but the Kings bounced back with a 13-4 surge to snatch back momentum. They carried a 29-27 lead into the second quarter.
Veteran guard Klay Thompson made four 3-pointers en route to 16 points over the next 12 minutes. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 44-19 in the frame to carry a 71-48 advantage into the break.
The Kings outscored the Mavericks 58-49 in the second half, but could not overcome the large deficit. Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points in the second half of the loss. Davis scored 15 points over the final 24 minutes to help the Mavericks preserve their advantage.
DeRozan finished the night with a game-high 33 points. Kings center Domantas Sabonis totaled 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the loss. Kings guard Zach LaVine chipped in 20 points and nine assists.
The Mavericks will now meet the Memphis Grizzlies in a battle for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Earlier Wednesday, sharpshooter Tyler Herro scored a game-high 38 points to lead the Heat to a 109-90 win over the Bulls in Chicago. The Heat, who never trailed, outshot the Bulls 49.4% to 39.8%. They totaled 30 assists and 15 turnovers, compared to 15 assists and 17 turnovers for their foes.
The Bulls made just 10 of 37 3-point attempts in the loss. They trailed by as many as 25 points.
"We set the intention to come in here and really up the pressure and intensity on defense," Herro said. "The offense, for me, will take care of itself. I try to come in with that mindset to just set the tone on defense. From there, we will fuel from that. That's what happened."
Herro netted his first eight shots, including a 6 for 6 clip in the first quarter, en route to a 23-point first half. The Heat led 71-47 at halftime. The Bulls outscored the Heat 27-17 in the third quarter. The Heat closed out the game by outscoring their foes 21-16 over the final 12 minutes.
Bam Adebayo totaled 15 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Fellow Heat forward Andrew Wiggins chipped in 20 points and nine rebounds. Heat guard Davion Mitchell scored 15 points off the bench.
Josh Giddey totaled 25 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Fellow Bulls guard Coby White and center Nikola Vucevic chipped in 17 and 16 points, respectively.
The Heat will take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in Atlanta. The winner of that game, which will air on TNT, truTV and Max, will earn the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday in Game 1 of a first-round playoff series.
The Grizzlies will host the Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. Friday in Memphis. The winner of that matchup, which will air on ESPN, will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in the first game of a Western Conference first-round series.
