CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball’s layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s buzzer-beating layup and the Charlotte Hornets beat Miami 127-126 in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, knocking the Heat out of the playoffs on Tuesday night.
Ball scored 30 points and 10 assists, Bridges scored 28 points and 9 rebounds, and the Hornets won their first home playoff game in a decade. Coby White scored 19 points, including a game-win three-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
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Mitchell scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27 for the Heat, who lost him to a lower back injury after Ball tripped Adebayo in the second quarter.
The Hornets will face the loser of Wednesday’s matchup between Philadelphia and Orlando on Friday night for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. Charlotte is looking to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Trail Blazers 114, Suns 110
PHOENIX (AP) — Deni Avdija scored 41 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.1 seconds left, and the Trail Blazers erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Phoenix in the NBA playoffs.
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Jordan Goodwin broke through for a layup and the Suns led 110-109 with 32 seconds left, but Avdija, who also had 12 assists, responded at the basket and made a layup while being fouled and made a free throw to lead 112-110.
The Suns had a chance to take the lead, but Jalen Green’s three-pointer missed. Goodwin grabbed an offensive rebound, but it was snatched away by Matisse Thybulle to seal the win for the Trail Blazers.
Portland earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Suns will host the winner of the Clippers-Warriors game on Friday. Whoever wins will earn the eighth seed and face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs. The loser’s season is over.
