LaMelo’s play‑in finish

Charlotte stayed alive in the Eastern Conference play-in on Tuesday, beating Miami 127-126 in overtime on LaMelo Ball’s layup with 4.7 seconds left. (apnews.com) Miles Bridges preserved it on the final possession, blocking Davion Mitchell at the buzzer after Miami got one last drive at the rim. Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds. (nba.com) The game only reached overtime because Coby White hit an off-balance 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 114-114. Tyler Herro then missed a potential winner for Miami before the extra period began. (espn.com) Charlotte entered the tournament as the Eastern Conference’s ninth seed at 44-38, with Miami tenth at 43-39. In the play-in format, the No. 9 and No. 10 teams face an elimination game, and the winner moves on to play for the conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. (basketball-reference.com 1) (basketball-reference.com 2) (nba.com) That made Tuesday night a season-ender for Miami and a second chance for Charlotte. The Hornets advanced to a Friday road game against the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic matchup. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) For Charlotte, the win also came in its first postseason home game in a decade. The franchise had not hosted one since a 2016 home loss to Miami, according to local coverage ahead of the game. (nba.com) (wfmynews2.com) The finish was not clean. Associated Press game coverage said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra argued Ball should have been ejected after Bam Adebayo left with a lower back injury when Ball tripped him in the second quarter. (espn.com) Miami had won the regular-season series 3-1, but Charlotte took the game that ended the matchup. Now the Hornets are one win from their first playoff berth in 10 years, and the Heat are done. (nba.com) (si.com)