LaMelo’s late heroics lift Hornets past Heat in OT, advance in Play-In

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LaMelo’s late heroics lift Hornets past Heat in OT, advance in Play-In image

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

By Rafael Bandayrel

The Charlotte Hornets punched their ticket to the next stage of the NBA Play-In Tournament after a thrilling 127-126 overtime win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday morning (PH time) at the Spectrum Center.

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

LaMelo Ball delivered the decisive moment, slicing through the defense for a go-ahead layup in the closing seconds of overtime to seal the victory in dramatic fashion.

The game remained tight throughout, with Miami showing resilience despite losing Bam Adebayo early in the second quarter due to a lower back injury following a hard fall.

Charlotte found its rhythm late in the third behind Coby White, who sparked a key scoring run to shift momentum in favor of the home team.

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

The Heat refused to go away, staying within striking distance behind timely plays from Tyler Herro. However, White came up huge, hitting a tough turnaround triple to forcing overtime after a tightly contested fourth quarter.

In overtime, the drama only intensified. Herro briefly gave Miami the lead after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt, but Ball had the final say.

Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists, while Miles Bridges added 28 points and 9 assists.

With the win, Charlotte advances to face the loser of the matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers, with the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs on the line

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