Hornets edge Heat
Charlotte beat Miami 104–103 in Tuesday’s Play‑In, sealed by a late LaMelo Ball layup and a Miles Bridges block at the buzzer (usatoday.com). The outcome advances the Hornets in the Play‑In path and is captured in same‑day highlight packages for quick recap viewing (youtube.com).
Charlotte survived Miami on Tuesday night, winning 127-126 in overtime when LaMelo Ball scored with 4.7 seconds left and Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer. (nba.com, espn.com) The game was the Eastern Conference 9-versus-10 Play-In matchup at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, and the loss ended Miami’s season. Charlotte, the No. 9 seed at 44-38, moved on after hosting the No. 10 Heat, who finished 43-39. (nba.com, nba.com) Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists for Charlotte, while Mitchell led Miami with 28 points. The teams traded 17 ties and 16 lead changes across 53 minutes. (espn.com, basketball-reference.com) The National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament is the league’s four-team race for the No. 7 and No. 8 playoff seeds in each conference. In that format, the No. 9 versus No. 10 game is an elimination game, and the winner advances to face the loser of the No. 7 versus No. 8 game for the final playoff berth. (nba.com) That puts Charlotte one win from the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2016. The Hornets will play on Friday, April 17 against the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic game for the East’s No. 8 seed. (nba.com, nba.com, basketball-reference.com) Charlotte’s place in this game came after a 44-38 regular season, its highest win total since 2015-16, according to the league preview on game day. Miami had won the season series 3-1, but Charlotte had taken the most recent meeting at home on March 17 by 30 points. (nba.com) The finish is already circulating in same-day recap packages, including the National Basketball Association’s full-game highlights posted Tuesday night. For Charlotte, the season now extends at least one more game; for Miami, it ended on one last blocked layup. (youtube.com, espn.com)
