It’ll be the first time Charlotte’s hosted an NBA postseason game since a 97-90 loss to the Heat in 2016.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β After a neck and neck game that spilled into overtime, the Hornets prevailed against the Miami Heat 127-126.
This win made hive history.
Tonight, for the first time in 10 years, the Spectrum Center came to life for an NBA postseason game, and it will be against a familiar foe.Β
The Charlotte Hornets hosted the Miami Heat Tuesday night in the NBA play-in tournament. The winner of Tuesday’s game will face the loser of Philadelphia-Orlando on Friday for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Tuesday’s loser will be eliminated from the postseason.Β
For Charlotte, it’s the team’s first home postseason game since losing to the Heat in Game 6 of the first round back in 2016. You may remember “Purple Shirt Guy,” the now-infamous Hornets fan who mercilessly heckled NBA legend Dwyane Wade in a 97-90 Heat victory that forced Game 7 and Charlotte’s playoff elimination. Β
This time around, Charlotte enters the postseason with momentum. Winners of 10 of their final 14 games, the Hornets are led by the dynamic duo of LaMelo Ball and Kon Kneuppel, who led the NBA in 3-pointers this season, becoming the first teammates to finish 1-2 in the league since Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.Β
After shattering the NBA rookie record for 3s in a season, Knueppel went on to lead the league with 273 while shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc.
Ball was right behind with 272 made on 36.8% shooting.
βI think itβs pretty cool β they must have a great coach that allows them to shoot that many 3s,β quipped Charlotte coach Charles Lee.
Kneuppel has been a welcome shot in the arm for a club that’s spent most of its time since 2016 near the bottom of the standings. He even passed NBA icon and former Hornets owner Michael Jordan’s rookie record for most games with 20-plus points on 65% true shooting.Β
The Hornets aren’t just a two-man show.
Brandon Miller is another high-end shooter with 204 3s this season and might have been right there with Knueppel and Ball had he not missed 17 games due to injury. Miles Bridges can also shoot the 3, although he’s best known more for his ability to get to the basket and his athleticism in finishing off alley-oops on the break.
Hornets vs. Heat game info
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Amazon Prime
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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