The final regular season game in the NBA comes down to motivation. The Heat have it. The Hawks maybe not. A win by Miami, coupled by a Hornets road loss to the Knicks, would give the Heat the No. 9 playoff seed instead of the 10th seed. The difference would be home-court advantage against the Hornets in a do-or-die play-in game next week. "We still have an opportunity to get home court (against Charlotte)," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was quoted as saying. "We want to maximize that opportunity." The Hawks clinched their first playoff berth since 2023 winning the Southeast Division. They will either be the fifth or sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks seem content with being the sixth seed. Atlanta showed its intentions for this game listing most of their core players as questionable. The Heat are 2-1 against the Hawks this season after picking up a 128-97 road win in their last encounter on Feb. 20. Miami is 10 games above .500 at home. Take the Heat.
