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Heat must be perfect to make playoffs. How to watch Play-In Tournament

Martin Vassolo

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 27: Head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat watches during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on March 27, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Heat 149-128. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downlo — Head coach Erik Spoelstra. Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

For the Miami Heat to make the playoffs, they must go undefeated in the Play-In Tournament, which begins Tuesday.

The big picture: This is the fourth straight season that the Heat have failed to finish as a No. 6 seed or higher in order to automatically qualify for the playoffs, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

As the No. 10 seed, Miami must now win two sudden-death games to earn the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

What's next: The Heat (43-39) play the No. 9 Hornets in Charlotte Tuesday at 7:30pm.

If Miami loses, they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
If they win, they must win again Friday at 7:30pm against the loser of Wednesday's Orlando-Philadelphia game.
If Miami survives the Play-In, they would play the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, beginning with Game 1 on April 19 on NBC/Peacock.

How to watch: The Play-In Tournament will be exclusively broadcast on Amazon's Prime Video.

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Heat must be perfect to make playoffs. How to watch Play-In Tournament

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