This one put Hornet fans through the ringer.
In a chaotic, heart-pounding elimination game at Spectrum Center, the Charlotte Hornets edged the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime, advancing to the East’s No. 8 seed play-in round. It was pure playoff chaos, the kind Hornets fans have craved for a decade. And it became the Coby White game.
The Hornets trailed late in regulation as their sharpshooters, LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel went cold. Enter Coby White, the February trade-deadline pickup from Chicago and North Carolina native. With 10.8 seconds left and Charlotte down three, White drilled a contested turnaround three-pointer with a hand in his face, forcing OT.
He caught fire earlier too, 14 points in the third quarter, including a buzzer-beating triple that had the Hive rocking.
Overtime was even wilder. The Hornets jumped out to a lead early, but Tyler Herro’s late three made it 125-123, Hornets by a point. LaMelo Ball turned it over, then fouled Herro on a desperation three. Herro sank all three free throws for a 126-125 Heat lead with 8.7 seconds left.
LaMelo Ball had an answer. A driving layup off the glass with 4.7 seconds remaining for the go-ahead bucket. As Miami’s Davion Mitchell drove to the basket looking like he had a win for Miami in his grasp, Miles Bridges swatted it away at the buzzer.
Charlotte lives to see another day and keep a magical franchise altering season alive.
The officiating in this one was very questionable on both sides, that play on Bam Adebayo just happened to be the most popular example of it. There were plenty of other plays to point to where there was a ton of contact on Grant Williams at the end of the first half with no whistle.
It was a night where the Hornets tasted postseason play in their building for the first time in a decade, ironically enough losing a seven game series to none other than the Miami Heat.
Now Charlotte awaits the loser of the 7-8 game tomorrow night between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers. The Hornets are one more win away from giving the NBA world the first round series with Detroit that so many have wanted since the intense matchup that led to a brawl and four suspensions two months ago.