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Herro clutch but Knueppel's team wins NBA play-in between Milwaukeeans
TL;DR
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 127-126 in an overtime thriller during the NBA play-in tournament on April 14. Tyler Herro scored 23 points for the Heat, while Hornets' Kon Knueppel struggled with just six points.
Herro clutch but Knueppel's team wins NBA play-in between Milwaukeeans
Tyler Herro hit a huge three-pointer in the final seconds of overtime and hit three free throws to give the Miami Heat a late lead, but the Charlotte Hornets prevailed in thrilling fashion in the NBA play-in tournament, 127-126 in overtime, on Tuesday, April 14.
Herro, the Milwaukee-born star who attended Whitnall High School, finished with 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting, with six assists and three rebounds. The Heat came into the battle as the 10th seed, with the upstart Hornets – led by possible NBA Rookie of the Year Kon Knueppel of Wisconsin Lutheran High School – at ninth.
Knueppel was kept in check during the play-in game, held to just six points on 2-of-12 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three-point range, with five rebounds and one assist. But LaMelo Ball drove and scored with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, and a potential answer by Miami's Davion Mitchell was blocked on the other end by Miles Bridges.
The Hornets haven't officially been to the playoffs since 2016, and that's still true, but they can earn a spot as the eighth seed if they win one more time Friday, April 17 against the loser of the game Wednesday, April 15 between the seventh-seeded 76ers and the eighth-seeded Magic. That game will be on the road for Charlotte, with a 6:30 p.m. Central tip time on Amazon Prime.
Down five points with less than 26 seconds left, Herro checked into the game, took an inbound from Pelle Larsson and sank a corner three-pointer to pull his team within 125-123. After a steal, Herro drew contact from Ball on a three-point shot and calmly hit all three free throws with 8.7 seconds left.
Herro, 26, finished the year averaging 20.5 points per game for the Heat, his fifth consecutive year clearing 20 points per game. He shot 37.8% from three-point range and a career-best 48% from the field, with 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
He was, however, limited to only 33 games (28 starts) this season by injury after appearing in 77 contests last year, his first all-star campaign.
Knueppel, meanwhile, has given his former college roommate and No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg of Dallas a run for his money in the NBA Rookie of the Year race, though Flagg closed the season as the favorite for the award.
Knueppel ended his rookie year having played in 81 games, with 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 47.5% shooting from the field. From deep, he shot 42.5%, burying a league-best 273 makes from beyond the arc.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tyler Herro clutch but Kon Knueppel, Hornets win NBA play-in
Q&A
What was the final score of the NBA play-in game between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets?
The final score was 127-126 in favor of the Charlotte Hornets.
How many points did Tyler Herro score in the play-in game?
Tyler Herro scored 23 points in the play-in game.
Who is Kon Knueppel and how did he perform in the game?
Kon Knueppel is a player for the Charlotte Hornets and he scored six points on 2-of-12 shooting in the game.
