Hornets stun Heat in OT
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat in an overtime play‑in thriller, capped by Mikal Bridges’ late block and LaMelo Ball’s go‑ahead basket. (x.com). Coby White hit back‑to‑back threes to regain the lead and then drilled a game‑tying shot with 10.8 seconds left, while Brandon Miller finished a lob — a sequence that pushed the game to extra time. ( ).
Charlotte kept its season alive on April 14, beating Miami 127-126 in overtime in the Eastern Conference 9-versus-10 play-in game and knocking the Heat out. (espn.com) LaMelo Ball scored the go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, and Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer to finish the one-point win in Charlotte. (nba.com; sports.yahoo.com) The game swung three times in the final minute of overtime. Charlotte led 125-120 with 26 seconds left, Tyler Herro hit a three-pointer, Miami forced a turnover, and Herro made three free throws to put the Heat ahead before Ball answered. (bleacherreport.com; espn.co.uk) Regulation had already turned chaotic. Coby White hit back-to-back three-pointers, then made the tying shot with 10.8 seconds left, and Brandon Miller’s lob finish helped extend a game Charlotte appeared close to losing late. (x.com; x.com) The result mattered because the National Basketball Association play-in tournament eliminates the loser of the 9-versus-10 game immediately. Charlotte advanced to one more elimination game, while Miami’s season ended on April 14. (nba.com) Charlotte entered as the No. 9 seed and hosted the No. 10 Heat because the Hornets finished above Miami in the Eastern Conference standings. The winner moves on to face the loser of the No. 7 versus No. 8 game for the conference’s final playoff berth. (nba.com; usatoday.com) For Miami, the loss ended a two-game path that has become familiar. The Heat reached the playoffs through the play-in in 2023, 2024 and 2025, but this time they were eliminated in their first play-in game. (sports.yahoo.com; nba.com) For Charlotte, the finish put Ball and Bridges at the center of the franchise’s first postseason game of this spring. The Hornets now head to the second play-in round needing one more win to reach the playoffs that start April 18. (nba.com; nba.com)
