CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball made a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s attempt at a winning layup at the buzzer, and the Charlotte Hornets beat Miami 127-126 in a wild start to the NBA’s play-in games, eliminating the Heat from the playoffs on Tuesday night.
Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists and Bridges had 28 points and nine rebounds as the Hornets won their first postseason home game in a decade. Coby White had 19 points, including a turnaround 3 with 10.8 second left in regulation to send the game to OT.
Ball became the fourth player with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game, joining Josh Giddey (2023 with Thunder), Kyrie Irving (2022 with Nets) and Damian Lillard (2020 with Trail Blazers).
Mitchell had 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27 for the Heat, who lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury when Ball tripped him in the second quarter.
The Hornets will travel to face the loser of Wednesday’s matchup between Philadelphia and Orlando on Friday night for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is seeking its first playoff appearance in a decade.
The Heat will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
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