LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges give Hornets a frenetic play-in win

With decisive plays by LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the Hornets beat the Heat in overtime in a wild start to the NBA Play-in.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — LaMelo Ball scored a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime; Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s game-winning layup attempt right at the buzzer; and the Charlotte Hornets They beat Miami 127-126 in a wild start to the games of NBA Play-ineliminating the Heat on Tuesday night.

Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, while Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds, in what was the Hornets’ first home postseason victory in a decade. Coby White contributed 19 points, including a turnaround 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Ball, double-double with history vs. Miami

Ball became the fourth player to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game, joining Josh Giddey (2023 with the Thunder), Kyrie Irving (2022 with the Nets) and Damian Lillard (2020 with the Trail Blazers).

Mitchell scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27 for the Heat, a team that lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury suffered when Ball tripped him in the second quarter.

What’s next for the Hornets?

The Hornets will travel to face the loser of Wednesday’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic; The game will be played on Friday night and will define the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is seeking its first postseason berth in a decade.

The Heat will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

The Associated Press and AM850 Research contributed to this report.