LaMelo Ball Game-Winner Thrills Fans as Hornets Beat Heat in OT in NBA Play-In amid Bam Injury
The Charlotte Hornets are a win away from their first playoff appearance in a decade after a LaMelo Ball game-winner.
The Hornets downed the Miami Heat in overtime 127-126 in Tuesday's play-in game, meaning they'll face either the Philadelphia 76ers or Orlando Magic in a game that will decide the eight seed in the playoffs.
Ball struggled a bit down the stretch but delivered a game-winning layup, leaving just a few seconds left on the clock.
Miami lost its star center, Bam Adebayo, in the first half after he came down hard on his back, and his defense and rebounding were sorely missed by the Heat the rest of the way.
After the win, fans praised Ball and the Hornets for getting it done in overtime.
While the game ended with a clutch play by Ball, it almost ended in disaster for the Hornets. The Heat trailed by two points with 12.8 seconds remaining when Ball turned it over. He then fouled Miami's Tyler Herro as he was attempting a three-pointer, and Herro gave the Heat the lead at the line.
Ball made up for it, though, storming down the court for the clutch layup. Miles Bridges secured the win on the other end by blocking Davion Mitchell's layup.
Adebayo's injury sparked some controversy as some fans viewed it as a dirty play from Ball, who appeared to grab Adebayo's ankle as he fell.
Ball finished with 30 points, but it came on a shaky 12-of-31 from the field and 2-of-16 from deep. Luckily for him, fans will only remember how he ended the game.
Bridges added 28 points and nine boards, while Brandon Miller posted 23. Coby White collected 19 points off the bench, including a clutch three to tie things up in regulation.
Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel had a rough showing with six points on 2-of-12 from the field, but the young player will look to make up for it in the second play-in game.
The Hornets have been one of the hottest teams in the league during the second half of the season, but they need to stay hot for 48 more minutes to snap an ugly playoff drought.
