LaMelo’s OT Layup Wins It
Charlotte survived an overtime play‑in thriller with a LaMelo Ball game‑winning layup to knock Miami out and keep the Hornets’ postseason hopes alive. (x.com) That OT finish immediately pushed Charlotte into the next elimination game for the East’s final playoff spot. (cbssports.com)
Charlotte is still alive after LaMelo Ball drove for a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime and beat Miami 127-126 on April 14. (nba.com) Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Miles Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds in Charlotte’s home win. Davion Mitchell led Miami with 28 points. (espn.com) The last sequence flipped twice in under 11 seconds. Coby White hit a tying three-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation, then Bridges blocked Mitchell’s final shot at the overtime buzzer. (sports.yahoo.com) The game was the Eastern Conference nine-versus-10 play-in matchup, which works as a straight elimination game. Miami’s season ended with the loss, while Charlotte moved into one more winner-take-all game for the No. 8 seed. (cbssports.com) Charlotte will play either Orlando or Philadelphia on Friday for the conference’s final playoff berth. The winner of that game opens the first round against the No. 1 Detroit Pistons. (cbssports.com) For Charlotte, the result ended a long wait at home. The Associated Press said it was the Hornets’ first postseason home win in a decade. (usnews.com) The play-in tournament sits between the regular season and the playoffs and decides the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference. The 2026 first round starts on Saturday, April 18, after the play-in games finish Friday. (cbssports.com) Charlotte entered Tuesday as the East’s No. 10 team and had to win on the road to the playoffs the hard way. One late drive by Ball changed that math, and now the Hornets get another 48 minutes to extend their season. (espn.com)
