On an intense overtime game at the Spectrum Center, the Charlotte Hornets pushed the Miami Heat to the brink. Yankee Scores reports the heroic play that ended the Miami Heat’s playoff streak.
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 127-126 in the play-in games of the NBA, ending Miami’s hopes of making the playoffs on Tuesday night.
Ball’s Historic Night and White’s Clutch Gene
LaMelo Ball made a layup in overtime with 4.7 seconds remaining, while Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s last-second layup attempt.
Ball contributed with 30 points and 10 assists. Bridges recorded 28 points and nine rebounds. It marked the first postseason home victory for the Charlotte Hornets in ten years. Coby White added 19 points, hitting a turnaround three-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation time to send the game to overtime.
The Hornets are set to face the winner of Wednesday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic on Friday night for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The goal for the Charlotte Hornets is to make their first playoff appearance in ten years.
IT’S A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT IN CHARLOTTE pic.twitter.com/O3ssoIjelj
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 15, 2026
Ball became one of the few players to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game along with Josh Giddey (2023), Kyrie Irving (2022), and Damian Lillard (2020).
Heat Heartbreak
Mitchell contributed with 28 points and Andrew Wiggins contributed with 27 points for the Heat. Bam Adebayo got injured during the second quarter after being tripped by Ball.
This will be the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Miami Heat have missed the playoffs.
“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.”
