Hornets survive in OT
Charlotte beat Miami in overtime on Tuesday when LaMelo Ball hit a game‑winning layup to keep the Hornets alive in the NBA Play‑In. (That win sends Charlotte into Friday’s game for the East’s final playoff berth and generated multiple highlight packages online.) (cbssports.com) (youtube.com)
Charlotte stayed alive in the Eastern Conference play-in on Tuesday by edging Miami 127-126 in overtime on LaMelo Ball’s layup with 4.7 seconds left. (nba.com) Miles Bridges then blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer to finish the one-point win at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Ball scored 30 points, Bridges added 28, and Miami got 28 from Mitchell. (espn.com) The game was the East’s 9-versus-10 elimination matchup in the National Basketball Association’s SoFi Play-In Tournament. Miami’s loss ended the Heat’s season, while Charlotte moved on to the East’s final play-in game on Friday, April 17. (nba.com) Under the play-in format, the No. 9 seed has to win twice to reach the playoffs, while the No. 10 seed is out with one loss. Charlotte finished the regular season 44-38, one game ahead of Miami at 43-39, which gave the Hornets home court on Tuesday night. (nba.com) (espn.com) Charlotte has not reached the playoffs since 2016, and the Friday game will decide whether that drought continues. The winner of Wednesday’s Orlando Magic-Philadelphia 76ers game takes the No. 7 seed, and the loser hosts Charlotte for the No. 8 seed. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Hornets entered the postseason on one of the league’s stronger second-half runs, going 33-16 after January 1 and finishing with their highest win total since 2015-16. Miami had won the season series 3-1, but Charlotte had beaten the Heat 136-106 at home on March 17 before Tuesday’s rematch. (nba.com) Friday’s East play-in game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Prime Video, with Charlotte on the road against the Magic-76ers loser. For the Hornets, Ball’s last drive kept the season going for at least one more night. (nba.com) (espn.com)
