NBA playoffs 2026: Hornets beat Heat, and 1 bettor stays alive for chance to win $5 million

The Charlotte Hornets have been both an incredibly exciting team to watch and one of the NBA’s best over the second half of the season. Charlotte went 18-9 after the All-Star break to make the NBA play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed and the Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 127-126 on Tuesday night to stay alive in their hopes for making the postseason.

LaMelo Ball had 30 points (on 12-of-31 shooting) to lead Charlotte, although the NBA will be reviewing Ball’s grab of Bam Adebayo’s ankle on a rebound, which caused Adebayo to fall awkwardly and miss the rest of the game.

Charlotte will face the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic game on Wednesday, and if the Hornets win, they’ll be the No. 8 seed and face the Detroit Pistons in the first round. It would be the first time Charlotte has made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

It would also mark another step on the path for one bettor to win $5 million.

A bettor at DraftKings placed a $12,500 futures wager on the Hornets to win the NBA title at 400-1 odds back in early February, which would pay out $5 million if Charlotte wins the championship.

The Hornets have never made the conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals in the franchise’s history.

It’s admittedly quite a long-shot wager, as even if the Hornets make it to the postseason, they’ll have their hands full against Detroit, the top seed in the East. The Pistons were 3-0 against the Hornets in their regular season matchups.

However, with the way Charlotte plays offense and its volume of 3s, perhaps there’s a path for the Hornets to pull a few upsets — and help put this bettor in at least a position to hedge his wager.