CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball drove for a game-deciding layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime and Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s buzzer attempt as the Charlotte Hornets escaped with a 127-126 victory over the Miami Heat in Tuesday’s play-in opener, eliminating Miami from the postseason.
Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and Bridges added 28 points and nine rebounds as Charlotte notched its first postseason home victory in a decade. Coby White scored 19 points, including a turnaround 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation that forced overtime.
The Hornets will travel Friday to face the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia-Orlando game for the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed, continuing a bid to reach the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.
“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 — we were glad to pull this one out for the Charlotte fans. They’ve helped us all year.”
Ball became the fourth player to record at least 30 p
