Coby White and LaMelo clutch, lift Hornets past Heat in thrilling play-in victory

The Charlotte Hornets survived a wild overtime thriller against the Miami Heat, winning 127-126 in their play-in tournament opener at the Spectrum Center. LaMelo Ball‘s driving layup with 4.7 seconds remaining in overtime proved to be the game-winner, while Miles Bridges sealed the victory by blocking Davion Mitchell‘s potential winning shot at the buzzer.

Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game, joining Josh Giddey, Kyrie Irving, and Damian Lillard. Miles Bridges contributed 28 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Lamelo BALL

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Dramatic finish caps decade-long drought

The victory marked Charlotte‘s first postseason home win in ten years, setting up a Friday night matchup against the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia 76ers–Orlando Magic game for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Hornets are seeking their first playoff appearance in a decade.

« My kids told me I’m not allowed to say ‘lit’ anymore. But I thought that the environment in there was exactly how I pictured it, » said Hornets coach Charles Lee. « The support all game from the crowd, the noise, the everything, the drama I think I heard a little bit — we were glad that we were able to pull this one out for the Charlotte fans, because they have definitely helped us throughout the whole year. »

Coby White played a crucial role for Charlotte, scoring 19 points including a turnaround 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. The guard, acquired in a midseason trade with Chicago, also drained key 3-pointers during a pivotal 10-0 run in the third quarter.

COBY WHITE BEAUTIFUL 3@CobyWhite | @Lowes pic.twitter.com/PbmuOT9T6M

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 15, 2026

For Miami, Mitchell led the way with 28 points while Andrew Wiggins added 27. Tyler Herro contributed 23 points but missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation. The Heat played without Bam Adebayo, who suffered a lower back injury in the second quarter when Ball tripped him.

The loss ends Miami‘s season and marks their first playoff miss since the 2018-2019 campaign. « There’s nothing to be ashamed of with our locker room, » said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. « What you want is, you want to feel like you’re worthy to win. And I think our guys felt like they were worthy to win tonight. We just didn’t win the game, and that can happen as well. »

The dramatic finish saw Ball initially put Charlotte ahead by five with 26 seconds left in overtime, only to commit crucial errors that allowed Miami to take a 126-125 lead on Herro‘s 3-point play with 8.7 seconds remaining. Ball redeemed himself with the game-winning drive, setting off a frenzied celebration at midcourt as the Hornets advanced in their quest to end their playoff drought.

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