The first play-in game of 2026 was one for the ages, as the Hornets pulled out the last-second victory, 127-126 over the Heat in overtime. With the win, Charlotte lives to fight another day and will face the loser of the 7/8 play-in game on Friday to win the 8-seed and face the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.
That would be an awesome finish to an amazing season for the Hornets, but it took some serious late-game magic for them to pull this one out, and for much of the fourth quarter and overtime, although they've long ago conquered those demons, this one was causing some serious stress, anxiety, and PTSD for Celtics fans.
That was a LOT of Grant Williams
Somehow, in the biggest moments, Grant Williams always seems to be involved. Of course, in a single-elimination postseason game against the Heat, Grant became a central figure. With some of the young Hornets struggling, Williams featured prominently in the fourth and OT, and the ball found him quite a bit, with him shooting 2-8 and 1-5 on threes in 18 minutes.
That included what looked like the biggest shot, on the biggest possession of the game, when the ball was inexplicably swung to him in the corner with the shot clock winding down, with Charlotte down 3 and under a minute to play in regulation. He missed the contested shot, and it looked like that would do it, but not for some Coby White heroics.
SEASON ON THE LINE
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) April 15, 2026
Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, and Coby White ALL pass up shots to get the ball to GRANT WILLIAMS 😭😭
REAL TEARS pic.twitter.com/AnA00ZF6cM
Heat and Andrew Wiggins devil magic
This also just felt like vintage Heat sorcery that Celtics fans are way too familiar with. They had a random role player play like a superstar. Davion Mitchell played out of his mind, with 28 points and 6 assists, burying one big shot after another to keep Miami alive.
Erik Spoelstra also busted out a timely zone in the fourth quarter that completely messed up Charles Lee’s offense while the Hornets went cold as ice from the three-point line.
On top of that, Cs fans watched their enemy from the 2022 Finals, Andrew Wiggins, going crazy in a big game, popping off for 27 points on 10-18 shooting. And then the final chef’s kiss in overtime was Tyler Herro hitting an absurd three-pointer falling away with 25 seconds left in overtime, followed by a Heat steal, and another Herro three-point attempt where he was fouled and buried all three free throws.
The Heat played all the hits and pulled out every club in the bag, but then LaMelo Ball hit a go-ahead layup in the closing seconds, Miles Bridges blocked Mitchell’s game-winning layup attempt at the buzzer, and the Hornets were able to stick the final nail in the coffin and actually kill the zombie Heat.
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