LaMelo's OT layup stuns Heat
Charlotte beat Miami in overtime on a last‑second LaMelo Ball layup — the clip circulated widely on social and drew roughly 1.9K views on one highlight post. That win sends the Hornets into Friday’s play‑in against Orlando, where DraftKings opened the Magic as 5.5‑point favorites for the elimination game. (x.com) (dknetwork.draftkings.com) (cbssports.com)
LaMelo Ball ended Charlotte’s season opener in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament with a driving layup, lifting the Hornets past Miami 127-126 in overtime on April 14. (nba.com) Ball scored 30 points and 10 assists, and Miles Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte at Spectrum Center. Ball’s go-ahead basket came with 4.7 seconds left, and Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer to finish the win. (espn.com) Miami had enough offense to stay in it deep into overtime, with Mitchell scoring 28 points, Andrew Wiggins adding 27 and Tyler Herro finishing with 23. The loss ended the Heat’s season after a 43-39 regular season. (usnews.com) The result moved No. 9 Charlotte into the East’s final play-in game and knocked out No. 10 Miami. Under the National Basketball Association format, the 9-10 winner must beat the loser of the 7-8 game to claim the No. 8 seed. (nba.com) That next game is set for Friday, April 17, when Charlotte visits Orlando at 7:30 p.m. Eastern in the last Eastern Conference play-in matchup. Orlando dropped the 7-8 game to Philadelphia and now gets one more chance at the bracket’s final spot. (nba.com, usatoday.com) Sportsbooks opened Orlando as a 5.5-point favorite for Friday’s elimination game, according to DraftKings coverage and DraftKings odds carried by ESPN. The line reflects Orlando’s higher seed even after Charlotte’s overtime escape. (dknetwork.draftkings.com, espn.com) Charlotte goes into that game with a 44-38 regular-season record after climbing out of a 4-14 start earlier in the year. The Hornets also won both regular-season road games in Orlando, 120-105 on December 26 and 124-97 on January 22. (apnews.com, espn.com, nba.com) The finish against Miami spread quickly online as highlight accounts clipped Ball’s last drive and the final defensive stop. By Friday night in Orlando, the play that kept Charlotte alive turns into a simpler question: win once more, or the season ends there. (x.com, nba.com)
