
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 127-126 in the NBA play-in tournament, with former Tennessee player Grant Williams scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds. The Hornets aim to end their playoff drought, last seen in the 2015-16 season.
No. 9 seed Charlotte defeated No. 10 seed Miami, 127-126, Tuesday in a NBA Eastern Conference play-in tournament game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Former Tennessee basketball player Grant Williams totaled five points and two rebounds in 18 minutes for the Hornets, who are seeking to make the NBA playoffs for the first since the 2015-16 season. Charlotte is playing to end the league's longest current postseason drought.
The Hornets will next play Friday in the second round of the NBA play-in tournament. Charlotte will face the loser of Wednesday's contest between No. 7 seed Philadelphia and No. 8 seed Orlando. Tipoff for Friday's game is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).
Williams played at Tennessee from 2016-19. He was a two-time SEC Player of the Year, 2019 NCAA unanimous first team All-American and a two-time SEC Player of the Year.
On May 17, 2019, Williams announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the NBA draft. He was selected by Boston in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft (No. 22 overall) by Boston.
He played for the Celtics from 2019-23. He also played for Dallas from 2023-24 before being traded to Charlotte.
Williams appeared in 104 games, including 101 starts, for the Vols. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Grant Williams plays 18 minutes for Charlotte in NBA play-in game
Grant Williams scored five points and recorded two rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
The Hornets will play next on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EDT against the loser of the game between Philadelphia and Orlando.
The Charlotte Hornets last made the playoffs in the 2015-16 season, marking the longest current postseason drought in the league.

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