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TNT analyst Charles Barkley was very confident in the Miami Heat ahead of Tuesday’s play-in matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. So much so that Barkley told his co-host, Shaquille O’Neal, that he would bet a billion dollars on Miami to win.
“Yeah they going to beat the Hawks, come on, the Hawks stink,” Barkley said. “Bet whatever you want to. A billion dollars.”
It didn’t end well for Barkley. Atlanta got out to a 24-point first-half lead. Miami then rallied in the second half to make it a five-point game before once again falling behind by double digits. The Hawks went on to win the game 116-105 to secure the seventh seed and advance to the playoffs.
Following the Hawks’ win, fans had some fun with Barkley and his billion-dollar bet, joking that it was time for him to pay up:
“He's broke now,” one fan said.
“Lawyer Twitter, is there enough for a verbal contract here or nah?” another said.
Here are a few more of the top fan reactions to Charles Barkley’s billion-dollar bet:
Atlanta Hawks set for first-round matchup against Boston
The Atlanta Hawks were led by star point guard Trae Young during Tuesday’s win over Miami. Young finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists on 44.4% shooting. Meanwhile, Hawks big man Clint Capela added four points, a game-high 21 rebounds, and two blocks on 66.7% shooting.
As for the Heat, they were led by veteran point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry finished with a game-high 33 points to go with four rebounds, five assists, and six 3-pointers on 68.8% shooting.
Atlanta’s biggest advantage came on the glass, with a 63-39 edge over Miami. This included a 22-6 advantage on the offensive glass. This led the Hawks to finish with a 26-6 advantage in second-chance points.
With the win, the Hawks gained revenge for their five-game loss to the Heat in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
Atlanta is now set for a first-round matchup against the second-seeded Boston Celtics. The Hawks finished 0-3 against the Celtics this season.
Miami will now wait to take on the winner of Wednesday’s play-in matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. Miami finished 0-3 against Chicago and 1-3 against Toronto this season. The winner of the Miami versus Toronto/Chicago match will secure the eighth seed and a first-round matchup against the first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
