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Ball, Hornets overcome survive poor shooting to take down Heat in overtime in Play-in Tournament
TL;DR
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime during the Play-In Tournament, despite poor shooting from their top players. LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 30 points and secured the win with a layup in the final seconds.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CAROLINA SPORTS LIVE) — The Charlotte Hornets survived poor shooting nights from the NBA’s top two 3-point shooters to defeat the Miami Heat in overtime Tuesday to advance in the Play-In Tournament.
Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball made a driving layup with 5 seconds left to take a 127-126 lead. He finished just 2-of-16 from 3 and went 12-of-31 from the floor to finish with a game-high 30 points.
Miami frantically rushed the ball up the court, but Miles Bridges blocked Heat guard Davion Mitchell as time expired, sending the Spectrum Center crowd into a frenzy.
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The Hornets held a 5-point lead with under 30 seconds left, but Tyler Herro went on an individual 6-0 run with a tough corner 3 and a foul from Ball while shooting a 3 that resulted in hitting all three free throws.
North Carolina native and former Tar Heel Coby White had a huge impact off the bench, and was in the game late instead of star rookie Kon Knueppel. He finished with 19 point, hitting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, including the shot that tied it at the end of the fourth quarter.
The midseason pickup also had the highest plus-minus (+21) of any player in the game.
The Heat were led by Mitchell with 28 points and six assists, and Andrew Wiggins had 27 points and seven rebounds.
Miami center Bam Adebayo, who played high school hoops in North Carolina, left the game in the second quarter due to an injury and did not return.
Knueppel, who finished tops in the NBA in 3-pointers made, was 2-of-12 from the floor and missed all six of his 3s.
The Hornets will face the loser of Wednesday’s Sixers-Magic game on the road.
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Q&A
What was the final score of the Hornets vs. Heat Play-In Tournament game?
The final score was 127-126 in favor of the Charlotte Hornets.
Who scored the winning points for the Hornets against the Heat?
LaMelo Ball scored the winning points with a layup in the final seconds of the game.
How did the Hornets perform in terms of shooting during the game?
The Hornets had poor shooting nights, particularly from their top two 3-point shooters, with Ball finishing 2-of-16 from beyond the arc.