On Tuesday night, April 14, 2026, the Charlotte Hornets welcomed the Miami Heat to the Spectrum Center for an NBA playoffs “play-in game.”
What is a “play in game,” you might ask? Well, that’s when neither team is high enough in the regular season statistical rankings to qualify for the playoffs, but there’s still an opportunity to qualify and advance if they can pull it together and win at the end of the season. Win, and you advance. Lose, and it’s time to clean out the basketball locker for this season. The stakes were high for both of these teams, knowing that a loss would end their season entirely.
So, the NBA set the stage. Charlotte had 44 wins going into the game while Miami had 43. That one extra victory was good enough to give Charlotte the home-court advantage.
This was revealed to be a crucial asset throughout the game, which had many lead changes. The crowd’s reaction to a stellar offensive play by the Hornets added to the momentum as well as the constant “D-fence!” chant which seemed to rattle the desperate Miami team. There is nothing like the energy of home court fans.
So, how did the game progress, who stood out and which team won, you might ask?
The game began as a closely contested matchup, the two teams staying neck and neck until halftime, with the score at 54 to 52, in favor of the Heat.
The second half was no different. The two teams continued to fight, splashing threes from everywhere. No team was able to pull ahead through the end of the third.
However, in the fourth quarter, Miami Heat player Tyler Herro was fouled. He drained both of his free throws to make the score 114-111 in favor of the Heat.
With 12.8 seconds left on the clock, the Hornets were set to inbound a pass. The pass went to Hornets player Coby White, who knew he had to shoot it before getting fouled. As the clock was running down, White caught the pass and put up a highly contested, fadeaway three-pointer from the wing.
The fans had no hope as he shot it, knowing it was not the shot they were looking for at that moment. To the surprise of every person watching the game, the shot went in to tie the game at 114 a piece.
At the end of regulation, the game was tied, meaning that overtime would decide the outcome. As the time ticked down once again, the teams continued to stay neck and neck.
Charlotte, down by one with 8.7 seconds remaining, inbounded a pass to their star player, Lamelo Ball. Ball moved toward the hoop, heavily defended, and he made the layup with just 4.7 seconds left.
Miami took the ball back and drove down the court quickly. They attempted a game-winning layup, just for it to be blocked by several Hornets defenders.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Hornets players surrounded each other as they knew they would be moving on to the next game.
But what is high action professional basketball without controversy? Shortly after the game ended, Hornets young star, Lamelo Ball, who was a key player in their win, was soon fined $60,000 after the game ($35,000 35 for tripping Heat player, Bam Adebayo, who recently scored 83 points in a single game, the second most in NBA history, and an extra $25,000 for using profane language in his postgame interview). Ball has a background of doing things like this, and it has come back to bite him after his most recent game.
So, as the NBA season moves into the high-pressure playoffs, and the play-in series continues, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Just like the NCAA March Madness Tournament, these playoffs are going to be close. Fans should expect many six and seven game series. Currently, there have been a hundred and fifty-five playoff games that have finished in the 7th game. That’s approximately 18% of all playoff games. Series that finished in the 6th game are slightly more popular, with approximately 23% of playoff games ending in this fashion.
This year, especially, could see many close series since there are few super-teams and more teams are closer in skill level. For the Hornets, this gives them a chance.
And if there’s one thing about NBA playoff basketball that fans should keep in mind, it is that anything can happen in any given series. Injuries, upsets, buzzer beaters, you name it, the NBA playoffs shock fans every season on end.
Now that the Hornets have cooled the Heat, what comes next?
On April 15, 2026, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic to advance into the playoffs. The Hornets are up next, the two teams play in Orlando on April 17, 2026. The winner advances, the loser goes home.
No, the harness won’t again enjoy the home court advantage, but they have momentum. It’s time for the playoff drought to end. Luckily, the Charlotte Hornets have a budding fanbase and will most certainly hex the Magic.
Go Hornets.
