Hornets stun Heat in OT
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 127–126 in overtime, with LaMelo Ball driving for the go‑ahead basket with 4.7 seconds left and Miles Bridges denying Miami with a buzzer block to seal the win. (espn.com) (youtube.com)
Charlotte opened the National Basketball Association play-in tournament by knocking out Miami, surviving overtime when LaMelo Ball scored with 4.7 seconds left. (apnews.com) Miles Bridges then blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer to finish a 127-126 win at Spectrum Center on Tuesday, April 14. Charlotte, the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, advanced; No. 10 Miami was eliminated. (espn.com) (nba.com) Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds. Mitchell led Miami with 28 points, while Kel'el Ware had 19 rebounds. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) The game was an elimination matchup because the play-in sends the No. 9 and No. 10 teams into a single loser-out game for the right to keep playing. Charlotte now goes on the road Friday to face the loser of Wednesday's Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic game for the East's No. 8 playoff seed. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) For Charlotte, the result kept alive a season that had already become its best in a decade. The Hornets finished 44-38, their largest win total since 2015-16, and were trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. (nba.com) Miami came in with more recent play-in experience. Erik Spoelstra had coached the Heat out of the play-in and into the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons, but this time the run ended in the opening game. (nba.com) The finish fit a game that kept swinging late. ESPN's play-by-play shows Tyler Herro hit a late jumper in overtime before Ball answered with the go-ahead layup, leaving Miami one last possession that Bridges erased at the rim. (espn.com) Charlotte also got there after a stronger second half, winning the third quarter 37-29 and forcing overtime in a game where Miami had won the season series 3-1. The Hornets had taken the last regular-season meeting, 136-106 on March 17, and carried that home form into Tuesday night. (espn.com) (nba.com) Now the Hornets are one win from ending a playoff drought that stretches back to 2016. Miami's season is over by one point, and Charlotte gets another do-or-die night on Friday. (nba.com)
