NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 12: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets shoots a three point basket during the game against the New York Knicks on April 12, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images After committing a blunder on the previous possession, LaMelo Ball more than made up for it by converting a leaning lay-in with seconds to go, and Miles Bridges swatted away Davion Mitchell’s floater at the other end. The unbelievable game-winning sequence came after Tyler Herro executed a personal 6-0 run in the waning seconds to secure what Miami must have imagined were the winning points. In an enthralling 9/10 play-in game that resembled an Elite Eight matchup (think 1992 Duke / Kentucky), Charlotte solved the Heat’s defensize zone late in the fourth quarter and Coby White sent the game to overtime with a catch-and-shoot three straddling the sideline – his fifth one in the second half. Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges then carried the Hornets to play-in glory with Ball’s points finishing Miami off. Charlotte’s shooting touch betrayed them for wide swaths of the fourth quarter while Miami took advantage of the frequent misses to jump ahead for good. After rolling out a zone defense to start the fourth quarter, the Heat pieced together a 11-2 run to pull themselves ahead of Charlotte. For the Hornets, it was the B’s – LaMelo Ball (15) and Miles Bridges (17) that put up 32 points together to pace Charlotte in the first half and trade deadline acquisition White who detonated a barrage of threes on the Heat in a third quarter comeback. Ball (26 points and 6 assists) and Bridges (28 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks – including the game preserving one) excelled in the Hornets’ first home playoff game in 10 seasons. The win was aided by White’s (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) third quarter superboost. Brandon Miller (23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) caught fire in the second half, and Charlotte managed to recover 17 of their own misses to help their victorious cause. Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Kneuppel (6 points, 2-for-12 FG) was unable to overcome his recent shooting slump. Miami’s Andrew Wiggins (27 points and 7 rebounds) and Mitchell (28 points and 6 assists) salvaged a disastrous first half injury to Bam Adebayo. Herro (23 points and 6 assists) was thisclose to being a hero tonight. Kelel Ware (12 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 blocks) bolstered the Heat backline over the last 2+ quarters. The Heat managed to stay in the game early on with 22 of their first 30 points coming in the painted area. The teams remained within one possession of each other over many of the first period minutes. Ball and Bridges stood out after some time with their respective abilities to attack the rim and hit difficult shots. Aside from a Ware three, Miami found most of their early success in the lane but found the going tough later on. Kneuppel missed on his handful of relatively open looks. Miami closed the quarter on a 6-0 run and it was 24-26 after one. With Adebayo exiting with a lower back injury (after awkward contact with Ball), Ware and Mitchell took over the scoring duties and Pelle Larsson annoyed the Hornets’ perimeter players to draw the Heat closer. Bridges did his best Keldon Johnson impression by bulling over Heat defenders to get to a dozen points. Charlotte – behind Bridges and Ball – looked like they might surge ahead, but Miami’s 5-0 burst at the end put them up two at the half. After what seemed like a litany of minutes where the teams traded baskets, Wiggins turned into the 2022 Finals version of himself to put up eight quick points, and Ware more than made up for Adebayo in the paint by getting to his fourth block. A Ware catch-and-dunk gave Miami its biggest lead of five. Charlotte scuffled to find any offensive bearing outside of Ball’s randomness, and then White put his stamp on this play-in game by connecting on three triples to wrest the lead away from Miami for good. Observations My relative sent this to me at tipoff: “A Spurs fan, an OKC fan, and a Nuggets fan are climbing a mountain and arguing about who loves his team more. The OKC fan insists he is the most loyal. ”This is for the THUNDER!” he yells and jumps off the mountain. Not to be outdone, the Spurs fan is next to profess his love for his team. He yells “This is for the SPURS!” and pushes the Nuggets fan off the mountain.” Amazon Prime seems to treat the occasion of the games with the requisite respect and tone. I don’t know that ESPN can say the same. The Hornets’ Sion James (Duke alum) seems like what Justice Winslow (Duke alum) should have been – physical two-way talent. I walked by Ryan Kalkbrenner at a Vegas casino during summer league. He’s a legitimate 7-footer. “That Looked Like Wemby” Sequence of the Game: Ware, halfway through the third, swatted away two attempts in successive possessions which led to fast break dunks for Wiggins. Coby White ‘Kaboom’ sequence: Late in the third period, it wasn’t just the first three that banked in from 25+ feet, White topped it with a transition three to finish off turning a 5-point deficit into a 5-point advantage. Sequence of the Game #3: After a riveting third quarter finish, the Charlotte’s Diabate tipped home a White miss and threw up a hook that touched all parts of the rim before gently dropping in. Game Rundown Ball turned down a 30+ footer on the first possession and instead scored on a floater and a driving lay-up for Charlotte. Bridges swatted away a Herro attempt at the rim and swished a wing three seconds later. Ball did connect on a straightaway triple and the teams combined for 21 points in three fast-paced minutes. However his assignment – Davion Mitchell – obeyed the game plan and raced past him for a lay-up at the other end. A pull-up three from Miller briefly put Charlotte up, but was answered by a Wiggins three. Miami did the bulk of its damage in the paint, but conceded a flurry of points to Bridges, including a shotclock beating turnaround, and he helped put the Hornets up six. Diabate did yeoman’s work on the boards, while fending off the Heat’s bigger players. After Miami was down as much as eight, Adebayo connected on several attempts to bring his team to 24-26. Adebayo crumped to the floor when Ball fell on his leg and remained down for some time before hobbling off the court. Kneuppel missed his sixth shot in seven attempts, and Norman Powell threw up a prayer to help Miami get within two. Ware’s second three was followed by Miller picking up his third foul at the offensive end. Bridges continued to score over anyone in front of him and defended doggedly – blocking a Wiggins three. A pair of Mitchell threes put the Heat back up. The teams traded the lead numerous times over many minutes until audacious threes from Bridges and Ball put Charlotte back up. The Heat still went to the half up two. The teams traded baskets over the first three minutes of the third until Jacquez’s three put a halt to the margin between the Heat and Hornets yoyo-ing between 0 and 2. Ball’s off-balance and-1 tied things at 63. After some spectacular paint protection from Ware, his teammate Wiggins was the recipient of outlet passes for a trio of transition finishes. Mitchell answered White’s three with one of his own. White’s second three moments later ended a 10-0 Charlotte run. White ended the third with a stunning buzzer-beating three to get the Hornets to the fourth up 89-83. The winning Hornets weirdly play the 7/8 loser on Friday to determine the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed. ...read more read less