Tyler Herro and the Heat had it going right from the start. Another performance like that could catapult Miami into the playoffs.

Herro scored 38 points, and the Heat dominated the Chicago Bulls 109-90 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.

Herro scored 23 points as Miami grabbed a 71-47 halftime lead, and the Heat knocked the Bulls out of the play-in for the third year in a row. They play at Atlanta on Friday for a chance to meet top-seeded Cleveland in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Hawks lost to Orlando on Tuesday.

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy for the Heat. There was the standoff with Jimmy Butler that ended with a trade deadline deal to Golden State in February, and a 10-game losing streak in March. Miami then won eight of 12 to close the regular season and finish 10th in the East at 37-45.

Against Chicago, Herro made his first eight shots and was 13 of 19 in the game.

Andrew Wiggins had 20 points and nine rebounds. Bam Adebayo added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Davion Mitchell chipped in with 15 points and nine assists. The Heat had 10 steals and seven blocks, and it all added up to payback for a three-game sweep in the regular season.

Josh Giddey had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago. Coby White scored 17, though he shot 5 of 20. Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Butler wants another title for Curry, Green

Two months in and Jimmy Butler has become so comfortable with the Golden State Warriors that he is now shouting when someone takes a bad shot, or he is demanding the ball be in his hands if it has been a possession or two without having touched it.

Draymond Green, for one, is loving how Butler is taking charge — he is Playoff Jimmy after all and this is his time of year. He has earned it. He thrives in the postseason.

“He’s different. You can just see a whole different intensity level and focus. I’m a basketball fan and so I’ve watched it on TV for years,” Green said. “To see it up close and personal, it’s a real thing. Sometimes you get in the NBA and these guys get these nicknames and you’re like, ‘Man, stop it.’ There’s some other nicknames out there, they’re not real. That one’s real, and I’m happy he’s on our side.”

On Tuesday night, Butler helped the Warriors finally win a play-in game after going 0-3 in appearances last year and in 2021, so now he is ready to do everything he can to capture a championship and help Curry and Green bring home a fifth title.

With a few days off at last after beating the Grizzlies 121-116, Golden State has some much-needed rest and recovery before traveling to Texas to take on the Rockets. Game 1 in Houston is Sunday.

“I want everybody to be happy, for sure Steph, he deserves it, what he’s done for the game of basketball not only this city and this organization,” Butler said. “He’s in it for the long haul. He wants to win. He wants to win every single game, every single possession.”

Antetokounmpo grateful he’s healthy

As he discusses his excitement about finally being healthy for the start of a postseason run, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo compares himself to a certain action movie star.

“I love playing in, how can I say, pressure, stressful situations,” Antetokounmpo said this week as the Bucks prepare to open the playoffs Saturday at Indiana. “I’m like Tom Cruise. Have you ever seen the movies, the Tom Cruise movies that he does all the stunts? I think he gets an adrenaline rush. I love being there again.”

After missing all of Milwaukee’s postseason run last year and part of it the year before — with his absence leading to consecutive first-round exits — Antetokounmpo is back to lead the Bucks as he pursues his second career title.

If it’s not quite a mission impossible, it certainly seems improbable.

The Bucks are expected to open the playoffs without seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard, who has been out for the last month with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. The Bucks are seeded fifth in the Eastern Conference, their lowest playoff position since 2018. BetMGM Sportsbook gives the Bucks only a 37% chance of getting past their first-round series with the Pacers.