Hornets shock Heat in OT
The Charlotte Hornets eliminated Miami with an overtime win capped by LaMelo Ball’s go‑ahead bucket and a seal‑the‑win block from Mikal Bridges. ( ). Charlotte’s reward is a shot at the East’s No. 8 seed in Friday’s follow‑up game against the loser of Orlando vs. Philadelphia. (sports.yahoo.com)
Charlotte is still alive after a 127-126 overtime win over Miami on Tuesday night ended the Heat’s season in the Eastern Conference play-in. (nba.com) LaMelo Ball scored 30 points with 10 assists, then made the go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime at Spectrum Center. Miles Bridges finished with 28 points and nine rebounds and blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer. (espn.com) The game turned twice in the final minute. Tyler Herro hit a corner three, then made three free throws after Ball fouled him on a three-point try to put Miami ahead 126-125 with 8.7 seconds left before Ball answered on the next possession. (espn.com) Charlotte needed this one just to stay in the bracket. The ninth-place Hornets hosted the 10th-place Heat in the SoFi Play-In Tournament, where the loser is eliminated and the winner advances to one more game for the East’s final playoff spot. (nba.com) Friday’s reward is another road test, not a playoff berth yet. Charlotte will visit the loser of Wednesday night’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic game for the No. 8 seed and a first-round series against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. (nba.com) The Hornets earned the home game by finishing 44-38, one game ahead of Miami’s 43-39 mark. Charlotte also closed the regular season by beating the New York Knicks on Sunday to lock up No. 9 in the East. (espn.com) (sports.yahoo.com) This is Charlotte’s first postseason home win in 10 years, according to the Associated Press recap published by ESPN. The franchise is trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. (espn.com) Miami had been the team with recent play-in history. Erik Spoelstra had guided the Heat out of the play-in and into the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons before Tuesday’s loss stopped that run. (nba.com) The Heat also lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury in the second quarter, but still got 28 points from Mitchell, 27 from Andrew Wiggins and 23 from Herro. It still ended with Ball driving right and Bridges arriving from behind. (espn.com)
