Hornets win in OT
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat in overtime on LaMelo Ball’s game‑winning layup to stay alive in the play‑in tournament. (CBS Sports reports the Hornets advance to a Friday game against the loser of Magic vs. 76ers.) (ESPN captured the finish and framed Tuesday’s result as the play‑in doing exactly what it’s meant to do: create volatility in late‑season positioning.) (cbssports.com)(espn.com)
Charlotte stayed alive Tuesday night with a 127-126 overtime win over Miami, sealed by LaMelo Ball’s layup with 4.7 seconds left. (espn.com) Miles Bridges then blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer, ending Miami’s season in the Eastern Conference nine-versus-10 play-in game in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds. (espn.com) The game went to overtime after Charlotte and Miami traded big runs through four quarters, with the Hornets winning their first postseason home game in a decade. The National Basketball Association said Ball’s shot was the first game-winner inside the final 10 seconds in play-in history. (nba.com) The play-in tournament gives the seventh through 10th-place teams in each conference a path to the final two playoff spots. Tuesday’s result moved ninth-place Charlotte into a Friday game for the East’s No. 8 seed, while 10th-place Miami was eliminated. (cbssports.com) Charlotte’s next opponent will be the loser of Wednesday’s game between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers. The winner of that Friday game gets the No. 8 seed in the East, where the Detroit Pistons already hold No. 1. (cbssports.com) The Hornets entered the postseason after finishing 44-38 in the regular season and earning the East’s No. 9 seed. Miami arrived as the No. 10 seed and needed two road wins to reach the first round. (espn.com) The ending also turned on roster pieces beyond Ball. National Basketball Association coverage credited Coby White as a key addition in Charlotte’s play-in push, even as Ball delivered the final basket and Bridges made the last defensive play. (nba.com) The first round of the 2026 National Basketball Association playoffs begins Saturday, April 18. Charlotte gets one more game to extend its season after surviving the first elimination night. (cbssports.com)
