Hornets win in OT

Charlotte stayed alive on April 14 by beating Miami 127-126 in overtime on LaMelo Ball’s layup with 4.7 seconds left and Miles Bridges’ block at the buzzer. (espn.com) Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds in Charlotte’s Eastern Conference play-in game at Spectrum Center. (nba.com) The game swung twice in the final minute of overtime. Tyler Herro hit a corner 3, then drew a 3-point foul and made all three free throws to put Miami ahead 126-125 with 8.7 seconds left before Ball answered on the next possession. (espn.com) Coby White, who Charlotte acquired from Chicago in a midseason trade, forced overtime with a turnaround 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation and scored 19 points. (nba.com) The win moved Charlotte into Friday’s game against the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic matchup for the East’s eighth and final playoff spot. Miami’s season ended with the loss. (espn.com) Charlotte had not won a postseason home game in a decade, and Ball became the fourth player to post at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game since the format began in 2020. (espn.com) Miami lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury in the second quarter but still led 102-95 in the fourth after Andrew Wiggins hit two 3-pointers. Davion Mitchell scored 28 points, Wiggins had 27, and Herro added 23. (espn.com) Hornets coach Charles Lee said the building matched what he had imagined for a postseason night, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his team felt “worthy to win” even after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season. (espn.com) Charlotte now gets one more game to turn a frantic finish into a playoff berth. Miami goes into the offseason after leading late and losing on the final possession. (espn.com)