Buzz Bulletin: Hornets Beat Heat in OT Thriller, Advance in Postseason Play-In Tournament
Game-winning LaMelo layup keeps Charlotte’s season alive after a miracle three-pointer from Coby White forced the game into overtime.
Breaking: Adebayo Foul Update
For those of you who watched last night’s game — perhaps the most exciting Hornets game to take place at the new Hive — you know Miami suffered a serious blow when an injured Bam Adebayo left the game early in the 2nd Quarter after Charlotte star LaMelo Ball appeared to grab his ankle while lying on the ground, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the court.
The obvious question after the smoke cleared from the overtime bout: will LaMelo be suspended by the league?
Luckily for the Bugs and the playoff hopes of a long-suffering fanbase, Sports Illustrated thinks not:
The most likely result, if the NBA opts to discipline Ball, is to assess him a flagrant foul ahead of Friday’s game.
That likely won’t result in a suspension. In the postseason, the NBA has a point system for flagrant fouls that can add up to a one-game suspension. A flagrant 1 is worth one point, while a flagrant 2 is worth two points and an ejection. If a player accumulates four points, he will be suspended for one game.
Hornets Advance After Overtime Nailbiter
LaMelo Ball made a driving layup with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Charlotte Hornets past the visiting Miami Heat for a dramatic 126-127 victory at Spectrum Arena Tuesday evening, completing an improbable comeback from a six-point deficit with under a minute and a half left in regulation. Ball delivered a spectacular overall performance for the Buzz, notching a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists despite shooting only 12/31 from the field and a dismal 2/16 from 3-point territory. Miles Bridges poured in an efficient 28 points on 10/18 shooting, Brandon Miller scored 23 points despite early foul trouble, and Coby White provided his usual spark off the bench with 19 points for Charlotte, including 14 points in the final four minutes of the 3rd quarter.
The first half was a back and forth affair, with the Hornets going up 26-18 late in the 1st quarter before Miami closed the period on a 6-0 run to draw within two points heading into the 2nd quarter. Barely a minute of game time later, Miami suffered a serious blow when an injured Bam Adebayo left the game for good at the 10:58 mark after Ball appeared to grab his ankle while lying on the ground, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the court. Brandon Miller then picked up his third foul on an illegal screen with 9:09 and sat the rest of the half, which ended with the Heat holding a slim 54-52 lead.
After falling behind by 5 points in the 3rd quarter, Charlotte finished the period on an 18-7 run, thanks to White’s scoring spurt, which turned a 76-71 deficit into an 89-83 lead going into the 4th quarter. The Buzz pushed their lead to 93-85 two minutes into the final frame, but Miami responded with a 12-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to reclaim the lead, which they extended to 102-95 at the midway point of the quarter. After a Hornets’ 7-0 run tied the game at 102, Andrew Wiggins knocked down two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Miami a six-point cushion, but Charlotte sank three clutch 3-pointers in the final minute 1:17 of regulation, none bigger than Coby White’s turnaround fade away with 10.8 seconds left. The game went to overtime after Tyler Herro’s fade away 3-point attempt bounced off the back iron.
The drama reached a crescendo in the overtime period. Charlotte appeared to have the game in hand with a 125-120 lead with only 26 seconds remaining, but Herro made an awe-inspiring turnaround fade away of his own from deep in the right corner to draw Miami within two points. On the ensuing Hornets possession, Ball turned the ball over in the back court on an attempted pass to Sion James and then fouled Herro on a 3-point attempt from the left corner with 8.7 seconds left. Herro calmly sank all three attempts, leading to Ball’s heroic, season-saving layup. The game ended on a Miles Bridges block of a layup attempt by Davion Mitchell, who led Miami with 28 points.
Andrew Wiggins scored 27 for the Heat, and Tyler Herro added 23 points.
Keys to the Game
Despite his poor shooting from three, Ball was the ultimate difference-maker for Charlotte, scoring timely baskets and masterfully distributing the ball to his teammates to the tune of 10 assists and only three turnovers.
Coby White’s 14-point 3rd quarter scoring spurt and game-tying long-range bomb at the end of the 4th quarter were huge for the Buzz. The crowd roared its appreciation at the end of the third, loudly chanting his name over and over again.
Buzz Bright Spots
The Hornets were clutch when it mattered most, starting with Bridges’ 3-pointer with 1:17 left in regulation to cut the Heat lead in half at 111-108. Miller then made another three from the top of the key to make it 112-111 before White’s epic game-tying shot sent the game to overtime, which ended with LaMelo’s basket and Bridges’ game-securing block.
When asked if the win embodies the team’s identity, head coach Charles Lee’s response left no doubt.
“Definitely, it just shows the character of the team,” said Lee. “I think at the end of the day, execution is not always going to be perfect, but I think that these guys find a way to stick with it and not give in sometimes when things aren’t going well or not going your way, I think that’s where I see the most growth and maturity from our group is just finding a way to respond.”
Buzzworthy Facts
Charlotte’s win was their first postseason home win in a decade. Their last such victory also came against Miami, a 90-88 triumph in Game 5 of the first round of the 2016 playoffs.
Ball and rookie of the year candidate Kon Knueppel shot a combined 2/22 from 3-point territory, with Knueppel shooting 0/6 and 2/12 overall from the field, making the Hornets’ win all the more improbable and impressive.
What’s Next
The 76ers and Magic will take the court tonight in Philadelphia, with the winner entering the playoffs as the #7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the loser hosting the Hornets in a second win-or-go-home game for the Buzz. The winner of that Play-In game will claim the #8 seed and final playoff spot in the East, facing the #1 seeded Detroit Pistons.
Another question will loom over the Hornets all week: will LaMelo Ball be suspended for grabbing Bam Adebayo’s ankle?
Whether the Hornets travel to Philadelphia or Orlando on Friday night, they’ll be competing for the team’s first playoff appearance since Kemba Walker led the Bugs in a 2016 series against the Heat.
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