LaMelo Ball Talks Mindset on Hornets' Game-Winner After He 'F--ked the Game Up' with Turnover

It was quite a dramatic final 15 seconds of overtime for LaMelo Ball during the Charlotte Hornets' 127-126 victory over the Miami Heat in Tuesday's Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

Ball turned the ball over with Charlotte nursing a two-point lead and then fouled Tyler Herro on a three-pointer. It seemed like that would be the losing sequence after Herro knocked down all three free throws to put Miami ahead, but Ball got his redemption by driving the lane and scoring what proved to be the winning basket on the ensuing possession.

"I just gotta win the game I feel like I just f--ked the game up so I'm like it's my fault," he said in his postgame interview. "I gotta make it work."

Miami still had a shot to win at the end, but Miles Bridges swatted Davion Mitchell's attempt in the lane.

A roller-coaster sequence at the end was fitting for Ball since it was a roller-coaster game for the point guard.

He finished with 30 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, which looks like an excellent game on paper. However, he also shot an ugly 12-of-31 from the field and 2-of-16 from deep, often forcing the issue as he continued to struggle as the contest progressed.

Heat-Hornets Highlights

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Ball wasn't the only one who struggled with his shot, as the normally sharp-shooting Kon Knueppel was just 2-of-12 from the field and 0-of-6 from deep.

But Coby White was there to pick up the slack.

White finished with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep off the bench and drilled an incredible turnaround three-pointer near the end of regulation that tied the game and eventually forced overtime. His red-hot shooting made the difference for the Hornets for extended stretches in the second half before they finally won in overtime.

As for Ball, he was also involved in a controversial play in the first half when he appeared to grab Bam Adebayo's ankle as the Heat big man was falling. Adebayo suffered a back injury and did not return.

"I don't think it's cute. I don't think it's funny. I think it's a stupid play," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "It's a dangerous play… That's a shame. He should be penalized for that. I don't think that belongs in the game, tripping guys... He should've been thrown out of the game for that."

Ball was not thrown out of the game, and he ended up scoring the winning basket.