As Charlotte’s sharpshooting duo of LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel went cold, Coby White did not.
The trade-deadline acquisition for the Hornets forced overtime with clutch 3-point shooting against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
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Ball then redeemed himself from a poor shooting night and a late mistake to seal a 127-126 win with a go-ahead layup in the final seconds.
Ball nearly blew it
Ball was fresh off a critical foul of Tyler Herro on the other end as Herro shot and missed a 3-pointer.
Herro had just hit a 3 to cut Charlotte’s lead to 125-123. Ball then turned the ball over on the ensuing Charlotte possession and responded with a bad foul. When Herro got the ball for a corner 3, Ball fouled him as he fell backward out of bounds on a shot that didn’t hit the rim.
Herro hit all three free throws to cap a 6-0 Heat run in less than 20 seconds that gave Miami a 126-125 lead with 8.7 seconds remaining. But Ball redeemed himself with the late game-winner that has the chance to propel the Hornets to their first playoff series since 2016.
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With the win, Charlotte advances to the second round of the NBA play-in with a berth in the playoffs at stake. The Hornets will take on the loser of Tuesday’s game between the 76ers and Magic for the No. 8 seed in the East. Miami’s season is over.
Coby White delivers
The game wouldn’t have gone to overtime if not for White’s heroics.
With the game on the line and a three-point deficit in final seconds of regulation, Charlotte benched Knueppel, who led the NBA in made 3s this season. Charlotte instead set up a play for White, who’d entered the fourth quarter shooting 4 of 5 from the 3-point line.
He delivered with his fifth made 3 on an unlikely turnaround shot with a hand in his face.
The shot ultimately forced overtime, where Charlotte prevailed for the win on Ball’s late shot.
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White also kept Charlotte afloat with a string of three late 3s late in the third quarter. He capped that run with a buzzer-beater that gave Charlotte an 89-83 lead heading into the fourth.
Miami responded in the fourth with a 12-0 run to retake control of the game. The Heat appeared to have victory secured before White’s 3 late in the fourth sent the game to the extra session.
White, a North Carolina native who played at UNC, was playing his 22nd game with his home-state Hornets after arriving midseason from the Chicago Bulls. He finished the game with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 5 of 8 from 3.
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Knueppel benched late
Knueppel, meanwhile wasn’t on the court for the critical final sequence of regulation and didn’t play in overtime. Knueppel is fresh off a remarkable rookie season in which he led the NBA with 273 made 3s.
But he missed all six of his 3-pointers Tuesday night and finished with six points while shooting 2 of 12 from the field. Hornets coach Charles Lee opted to keep him on the bench in crunch time.
Controversy, poor shooting night for LaMelo Ball
Ball, who finished second in the NBA in made 3s this season with 272, also struggled from deep while shooting 12 of 31 from the field and 2 of 16 from beyond the arc. He finished with 30 inefficient points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds.
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He was also involved in controversy as Heat center Bam Adebayo left the game with a lower back injury early in the second quarter.
Adebayo grabbed a rebound off a layup attempt by Ball that was blocked. As Adebayo landed near the baseline, Ball, on the ground, grabbed the back of Adebayo’s left ankle while Adebayo’s right leg was in the air.
Adebayo fell hard to the court and was in immediate pain.
Adebayo left the game with a lower back injury and did not return, leaving the Heat without arguably their best player and the strongest post player in the game.
Officials didn’t call a foul on Ball, and Spoelstra’s pleas to review the play for a potential flagrant foul went unheeded. Referee Zach Zarba told the Amazon Prime broadcast the play wasn’t eligible to be reviewed because it wasn’t immediately stopped and there was a change of possession.
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Erik Spoelstra: Ball ‘should have been thrown out’
After the game Spoelstra told reporters he believes Ball should have been ejected.
“I don’t think that belongs on the game, tripping guys and shenanigans,” Spoelstra said. … “Somebody has got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that.”
Ball wasn’t thrown out. And he hit the game-winning shot as Adebayo was off the court.
While Ball and Knueppel went cold, Brandon Miller (23 points, 5 of 10 from 3) and Miles Bridges (28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 of 10 from 3) helped keep Charlotte afloat alongside White.
Davion Mitchell led Miami with 28 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 27 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 4 of 8 from 3.
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Kel’el Ware took over in the post for Adebayo with 12 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks. But it wasn’t enough for the Heat to overcome the Hornets’ heroics and the loss of Adebayo.