In dramatic fashion, the Charlotte Hornets are now one step closer to making their first trip to the NBA playoffs since 2016.
Tuesday night saw the Hornets defeat the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime in the Eastern Conference 9-10 game of the NBA Play-In Tournament. Charlotte now has a date on Friday against the loser of Wednesday’s 7-8 Play-In game between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers. Whoever is left standing between Charlotte, Orlando, and Philadelphia will face the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, while Miami’s season is over.
LaMelo Ball Sends The Hornets Forward
Charlotte’s face of the franchise, LaMelo Ball, had 30 points and 10 assists in the win, with his layup with four seconds to go in overtime being the basket to keep the Hornets’ season alive. While rookie of the year candidate Kon Knueppel only had six points, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges supported Ball on the night with 23 and 28 points, respectively, and Coby White had 19 points off the bench for Charlotte.
Bam Adebayo’s Injury Meant Others Had to Step Up For Miami
One of the biggest storylines on Tuesday was the Heat losing Bam Adebayo in the second quarter to a lower back injury after being tripped by Ball. Adebayo would only play 11 minutes on the night before leaving the game, as Davion Mitchell would lead Miami in scoring with 28 points, while Andrew Wiggins had 27 points.
Next: Frustrated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks’ Headed Towards Summer Trade
