MIAMI -- The Heat were missing two starters yet hardly missed a beat in Tuesday's 97-94 Game 5 win over the Hawks to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
With Kyle Lowry sidelined since late in the third quarter of Game 3 because of a left hamstring strain and Jimmy Butler in street clothes because of inflammation in his right knee, Miami got a lift from an unlikely pair of replacements.
Victor Oladipo, who appeared in 96 of a possible 309 regular-season games the past four years because of knee and quadriceps injuries, and Max Strus, who was undrafted and appeared in two games total with his first two NBA teams, picked up the slack to help the Heat clinch their first playoff series at home since 2016.