Miami Heat must get past LaMelo Ball's Hornets in NBA play-in tourney

If it’s mid-April, it means the Miami Heat are in the NBA’s play-in tournament.

Four years of the play-in tournament. Four years Miami has been a participant – this time facing the upstart Charlotte Hornets in the 9-10 matchup April 14 in North Carolina.

LaMelo Ball’s Hornets have been the season’s most impressive story, especially since January, while Miami was meh without a true superstar.

“Charlotte is my sleeper team,’’ one NBA personnel man told The Palm Beach Post. “They are really, really good – one of the best teams in the league since late January. But a one-game series? Miami is very mediocre but they certainly have successful play-in experience.’’

The Heat finished with the 10th seed, posting a record of 43-39, one game behind No. 9 Charlotte. Their defense statistically was one of the NBA’s worst in the final section of the season.

“You have to absolutely embrace it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after Sunday night’s 143-117 season finale victory over the Atlanta Hawks Junior Varsity. “It makes you feel alive, that’s for sure, if you’re a competitor.’’

If the Heat take out the Hornets, Miami plays the loser of Orlando-Philadelphia in the 7-8 game on the road April 17 to determine the 8th seed in the convoluted format. Miami is 0-5 vs. the Magic this season.

Miami Heat could fall into the NBA Draft lottery

Apr 9, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra instructs his team during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

If Miami doesn’t make it through, it actually falls into the lottery for the first time since 2019 – which might not be the most tragic thing.

“You don’t want the season to go the way it (did) to put you in the play-in, but once you’re in it, it’s exhilarating,’’ Spoelstra said. “You have to embrace the competition.’’

Despite its past play-in success, Miami won’t be favorites against the Hornets despite winning the season series 3-1, averaging 126 points. However, the Hornets won the last meeting.  On the Hard Rock Bet App, Charlotte is 5.5 point favorites.

“Charlotte has five – count them – scorers and defend well,’’ the personnel man said of a unit including Ball, rookie sensation Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Coby White. “But they obviously lack experience in these kind of settings. Miami has to get them in a grind-out game since Charlotte is so explosive.

In the inaugural season of the NBA’s play-in tournament, in 2022-2023, Miami went from 8th seed all the way to the NBA Finals.

The Heat haven’t blown such a hot fire since although in each of the first three play-in tournaments, they advanced into the main event.

But the past two years, Miami was rocked in the playoff’s first round – an embarrassingly historic sweep to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season and a lopsided 5-game defeat to the Boston Celtics in 2023-2024.

“We’ve got too much experience of being in this position,” center Bam Adebayo told reporters.

Nobody is expecting much and maybe the Heat end their play-in excellence after a season of ups and downs. In allowing more than 130 points multiple times, the Heat went on a 3-10 stretch before winning their last two games.

It was a disappointing season for Miami in an Eastern Conference where five teams were flagrantly tanking. If last season can be blamed on Jimmy Butler being a distraction, this season was simply about not having enough A-level talent with president Pat Riley surprisingly somnolent in upgrading a roster that got humiliated by Cleveland last April.

Bam Adebayo's 83-point night doesn't prove he's a leading man

Apr 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Adebayo’s 83-point epic against the tanking Washington Wizards March 10 drew national headlines but he’s an All-Star, not a leading man. Same with Tyler Herro. And Andrew Wiggins is what he is – a decent scorer but an inconsistent floater. The M in Miami is for mediocre, as the personnel man stated.

“We had way more months of good habits than what we’ve seen the last three weeks,” Spoelstra told reporters last week. “But these three weeks of really poor defensive games are overwhelming the rest of what we’ve done the rest of the season.”

While young center Kel’el Ware continues to show flashes of brilliance as a shotblocker and low-post scorer and had a big finish, it is unlikely Spoelstra will make him a starter vs. Charlotte.

Charlotte is a 3-point shooting juggernaut with Ball and Rookie of the Year candidate Knueppel. Ware is a drop-back-in-coverage center.

Ball and Knueppel hit a splashy milestone in the season finale in New York Sunday, becoming only the second tandem to each knock down at least 270 3’s. They joined Splash Brothers Stephon Curry/Klay Thompson in 3-point mastery.

In general, Ball has finally blossomed into a leader and winner – not just a flashy scorer. “This is what we've been raving about watching these guys,’’ Carmelo Anthony said on an NBA broadcast last week. “We've been raving about LaMelo playing with that type of freedom and leadership.’’

In this matchup, Ware, who has been nagged with uneven defensive performances despite his shotblocking gifts, should come off the bench and Spoelstra may start the quintet of  Davion Mitchell, Herro, Wiggins, Pelle Larsson and Adebayo.

The Heat have the edge off the bench with guard Norman Powell, who still has lingering groin issues, former first-rounder Jaime Jaquez and Ware.

Last week, Spoelstra said of the emerging Ware, “We’ve had three practices in the last 10 days. And I would venture to say that these are the three best practices this year. He’s really been intentional of trying to get better at some things, his technique, getting his hands up.”

“We need that version of Kel’el if we’re going to do something special,’’ Adebayo said.

Another X-factor is Jaquez, who has started to emerge from the 3-point line, which would be crucial boost in the Charlotte game.

“For me, I feel like I’ve been getting a lot more open looks at the three,’’ Jaquez said. “Coaches just tell me to let them fly. It’s part of the game in the NBA. You got to be able to shoot them.”

Powell missed 23 games with groin issues that he says will likely not go away this season. Powell is in the final year of a contract that pays $20.5 million and is really a Sixth Man on a contender.

Powell will be a free agent in July when the Heat may finally spring into action in trying to make a blockbuster.

“It’s experience vs. talent and youth,’’ the personnel man said. “But Miami struggled at the end of the year and Charlotte was hot. If it were a seven-game series, definite edge to Charlotte.’’

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NBA playoffs: Miami Heat meet Charlotte Hornets for play-in game