LaMelo Ball has made a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s winning attempt at the buzzer and Charlotte beat Miami 127-126 in a wild start to the NBA’s play-in games.
Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists and Bridges had 28 points and nine rebounds as the Hornets won their first post-season home game in a decade to eliminate the Heat from the playoffs on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEST).
Coby White had 19 points, including a turnaround three with 10.8 seconds left in regulation to send the game to OT.
Mitchell scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27 for the visitors, who lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury when Ball tripped him in the second quarter.
Charlotte, seeking their first playoff appearance in a decade, will travel to face the loser of Wednesday’s match-up between Philadelphia and Orlando on Friday night for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Tyler Herro, who scored 23 points for Miami, gave them a 126-125 lead with 8.7 seconds left.
After a timeout, Ball drove the right side of the lane and made a leaning, right-handed layup to give the Hornets the lead. The Heat, without any timeouts, pushed the ball up the court and Bridges chased down Mitchell to block his layup attempt, setting off a frenzied celebration.
Ball flexed at mid-court as players mobbed each other.
Despite the loss of Adebayo, Miami remained in control until late in the third quarter, when White banked in a triple and then added another from outside at the top of the key as part of a 10-0 Charlotte run.
White, acquired in a mid-season trade with Chicago, drained another three in the closing seconds of the term to give Charlotte a 89-83 lead.
The Heat then built a 102-95 lead in the fourth behind two triples from Wiggins.
The Hornets tied it when White caught an inbounds pass and made a unbalanced three from the corner. Herro had a chance to win it in regulation but hit the back iron on another outside try.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/hive-buzzing-as-hornets-sting-miami-in-nba-play-in-c-22143748
