That was awfully fun, wasn’t it?

The NBA Play-In has continued to prove its worth with an exciting start, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat in a thrilling 127-126 overtime victory.

Charlotte will then play the loser of tonight’s matchup to face either the Orlando Magic or Philadelphia 76ers. From there, whoever wins that matchup will then go to the NBA Playoffs.

In an already magical season, Charlotte entered last night’s game with the perfect blend of urgency and looseness. And even though the Hornets put themselves in danger many times in last night’s game, it was them who ended up getting one more shot.

Even with the flare last night, there were so many components to the game that we may have missed, so here’s three observations from Tuesday night.

Rookie of the Year favorite Kon Knueppel had a hard time in his first ever playoff-like game. 

For a player who is typically one of the more reliable options on the floor, Knueppel had an extremely difficult time generating buckets.

Because of that, head coach Charles Lee needed to pivot. Knueppel wasn’t doing it for the team, so instead, Lee subbed point guard Coby White, the ultimate difference maker of last night.

Knueppel started the game 0-5 from the field, but what’s even more shocking was his inability to hit from 3-point land all game.

He finished the game with six points on 2-12 shooting, and went 0-6 from 3.

He led the NBA in 3-pointers made, and was the first rookie to ever do so, but this time, the lights may have been a little too bright for the youngster.

What was fascinating to watch was Knueppel didn’t play the final minute of the fourth quarter, and also did not play in all of overtime. And it forced the young sensation to watch the rest of the game from the bench.

While Knueppel struggled to find his shot, other key players on this team stepped up when needed.

Miles Bridges played like the veteran this team desperately needed, posting 28 points, nine rebounds on 10-18 shooting and 5-10 from 3.

You could tell it was going to be one of “those nights” for Bridges, as he drained two early 3-pointers, something we’re not used to seeing from the 33% shooter from deep.

And not only that, he had the season-saving block at the end of overtime on Davion Mitchell of the Heat.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller were pillars to this offense. While the 3-pointer wasn’t falling for Ball, he still managed to make a large dent in this game, with 30 points and 10 assists, including the game-winning bucket with 4.7 seconds left.

For the majority of this season, it seems like Miller can come off as the third guy in the “Big 3.” But perhaps that’s exactly how he likes it. All game, Miller was hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, including a 3-pointer to cut the Heat’s lead to one point at the end of the fourth quarter.

Not only that, Moussa Diabate has continued to show his worth on the floor. He may not be the biggest guy, but the one thing Diabate has over many other players is his desire to get the ball.

Before getting injured, Bam Adebayo was cooking Diabate on the lowpost, and it seemed like it was going to be a long night for the Frenchman. But once Adebayo left the game, the game opened up for Diabate.

He ended up with 14 rebounds, but he made his mark on the offensive glass with eight offensive rebounds.

If you’ve been keeping up with us at Hornets Roundtable, one of the biggest gripes of the season was Charlotte’s inability to win close games.

Until the Hornets picked up White from the Bulls, games decided by 10 or less was a kryptonite for this team.

And they almost blew it.

Charlotte had a five point lead with less than a minute left in overtime, until Tyler Herro drained a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two. But when it was time for the Hornets to get the ball back, they moved up the floor with zero urgency.

Ball was picked up on the full court, and no one came to assist him. To prevent an eight-second violation, Ball threw the ball up in hopes a Hornet would come away with it, but it was Pelle Larsson of the Heat who took it instead.

Herro ended up with the ball and shot a 3-pointer, but Ball ended up fouling him giving the 92% free throw shooter three free points to take a one point lead.

But today is a celebration instead of dwelling on the past. What's most important is that the Hornets pulled out a win, and it gave this team the experience it needed during high-pressure, high-octane games.

So while the last minute of overtime taught the Hornets a major lesson, the end result is what matters most. 

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