The Charlotte Hornets knocked off the Miami Heat 127-126 in an NBA Play-In Tournament thriller.
With the win, the Hornets advance to the playoffs while the Heat were eliminated from the postseason.
Charlotte was led by star guard LaMelo Ball, who erupted from 30 points and 10 assists and the game winning basket in overtime.
LaMelo was joined by Miles Bridges, who added in 28 points and 10 rebounds and the game sealing block in overtime to preserve the win for the Hornets.
Miami fought valiantly all the way to the end, but eventually came up short, which was especially frustrating after losing star player Bam Adebayo, who took a scary fall after what many are calling a dirty play by LaMelo, who grabbed his foot as he was in the air.
In Bam’s absence, younger players like Davion Mitchell and Tyler Herro stepped up for Miami and poured in 28 and 23 points, respectively.
The Hornets will face the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic game while the Heat head home to Miami to begin the offseason. The winner will face the no.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons.
