CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball drove for a layup with 4.7 seconds remaining in overtime, Miles Bridges rejected Davion Mitchell’s potential game-winner at the buzzer, and the Charlotte Hornets edged the Miami Heat 127-126 in a wild play-in opener Tuesday, eliminating Miami from the postseason.
Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds as Charlotte won its first postseason home game in 10 years. Coby White contributed 19 points, including a turnaround 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation that forced overtime.
The Hornets will travel to face the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia-Orlando game on Friday for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is chasing its first playoff berth 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,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said of the Spectrum Center crowd. “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. And that’s the environment that we want to keep having night after night.”
Ball became the fourth player to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game, joining Josh Giddey (2023), Kyrie Irving (2022) and Damian Lillard (2020).
For Miami, Davion Mitchell scored 28 and Andrew Wiggins had 27. The Heat also lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury after he was tripped by Ball in the second quarter. The Heat will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of with our locker room,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “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. That’s what we’ll have to live with in the offseason.”
Ball’s drive gave Charlotte a five-point lead with 26 seconds left in overtime, but he then committed two late mistakes. Tyler Herro — who finished with 23 points — hit a twisting corner 3, and Ball turned the ball over in the backcourt before fouling Herro on a 3-point attempt. Herro sank all three free throws to put Miami up 126-125 with 8.7 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Ball attacked the right side of the lane and converted a leaning, right-handed layup to retake the lead. Miami, out of timeouts, rushed downcourt and Mitchell’s layup attempt was chased down and blocked by Bridges, setting off jubilant celebration in Charlotte.
“We drew up a good play, I feel like, and just orchestrated it,” Ball said. “It worked.”
Despite Adebayo’s injury, Miami led for much of the game and still held control late in the third quarter until White banked in a 3 and hit another from the top of the key during a 10-0 Charlotte run. White, acquired midseason from Chicago, hit another 3 at the end of the third to put Charlotte up 89-83.
The Heat answered in the fourth, building a 102-95 lead with two long-range makes by Wiggins. Charlotte tied the game when White caught an inbounds pass and buried an off-balance corner 3. Herro had a chance to win it in regulation but rattled out a 3 at the buzzer.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.