Hornets survive in OT

Charlotte extended its season Tuesday night with a 127-126 overtime win over Miami on LaMelo Ball’s layup and Miles Bridges’ block at the buzzer. (nba.com, espn.com) Ball scored 30 points and handed out 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds in the elimination game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davion Mitchell led Miami with 28 points, and the Heat lost despite scoring 126. (apnews.com, espn.com) The finish turned twice in the final seconds. Ball put Charlotte ahead with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, then Bridges blocked Mitchell’s drive on the last play to end Miami’s season. (apnews.com, nba.com) The game was the Eastern Conference 9-versus-10 play-in matchup, which means the loser is eliminated and the winner moves on to one more do-or-die game for the No. 8 seed. Charlotte now goes on the road Friday, April 17, to face the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic game. (nba.com, espn.com) That keeps alive Charlotte’s bid for its first playoff berth since 2016. The Hornets finished the regular season 44-38, their best win total since 2015-16, and earned the No. 9 seed by beating New York on the final day. (nba.com, espn.com) Miami’s night changed early when Bam Adebayo left with a lower back injury after a fall in the second quarter. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game that Ball should have been ejected on the play, while Ball said he apologized to Adebayo. (apnews.com, sports.yahoo.com) Charlotte survived a game that kept swinging. The teams combined for repeated lead changes, Miami built a seven-point fourth-quarter edge, and Coby White tied it late in regulation with a corner 3-pointer before Tyler Herro missed a chance to win it at the horn. (espn.com, apnews.com) For Miami, the loss ends a three-year run of escaping the play-in and reaching the playoffs under Spoelstra. For Charlotte, the next test comes Friday with one more win needed to turn a wild Tuesday into a first-round series. (nba.com, apnews.com)