Author: rb809rb

Both Coby White and LaMelo Ball come up clutch to help the Hornets stay alive in the SoFi Play-In Tournament.

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CHARLOTTE – The Play-In Tournament’s ability to keep middle-of-the-pack focused on what’s above them in the standings rather than what might await them from below has waned lately. But at least one of its superpowers remains: Injecting instant urgency at the start of the NBA’s postseason, a handful of one-and-done or two-and-done games serving as ideal hors d’oeuvres before everyone settles into those best-of-seven series.

The Charlotte Hornets’ 127-126 overtime victory against Miami Tuesday at Spectrum Center wasn’t just a tasty appetizer – it was bacon-wrapped. A thriller across 53 minutes, what might have been something humdrum between the East’s ninth- and 10th-best teams instead had a little of everything: crazy buckets, timely defense, lead swings (16, with 17 ties), a bit of controversy, and plenty of frayed emotions.

In this case, there was no faint praise in deeming it the greatest Play-In game ever.

The prospect of having eight months of hard work, ups, downs, surprises, setbacks and drama end in the span of a few hours can dial up all levels of desperation and resolve to earn another game. To fend off elimination. Any night except this night, in other words.

“I think both teams didn’t want to go out,” Hornets forward Miles Bridge said. “Us for sure. We’ve had a great year. We started out bad, then we banded together and created a culture. We wanted to win for our fans and for ourselves, and to get a taste of playoff basketball.”

For that last ambition, Charlotte has to hit the road and do this all over again Friday night either in Philadelphia or Orlando, once the 76ers and the Magic determine Wednesday which of those two loses its way into the clash with the Hornets. Miami, as stubborn a Play-In participant as the league has had since creating the format in 2021, heads into the offseason after having to play for nearly three quarters without its best player, Bam Adebayo.

Here are four takeaways from the victory that keeps alive Charlotte’s shot at facing the East’s No. 1 seed, the Detroit Pistons, in the first round for its first official playoff appearance in 10 years:

1. Throwback game for LaMelo Ball

Much has been made of the Charlotte point guard’s improved feel, leadership, efficiency and maturity this season in driving a team that has gone 34-15 since Jan. 3. But he looked Tuesday like old ’Melo, which means young ’Melo, the guy without much direction or accountability after his arrival in 2020.

Only in this game, the Hornets needed that guy. Two of their three main sources of points were underperforming: rookie Kon Knueppel seemingly had big-stage jitters, missing 10 of his 12 shots and all six of his 3-pointers. Brandon Miller played less than 10 minutes in the first half, collecting as many fouls as points.

That left it to Ball to have one of his everything-everywhere-all-at-once performances. He scored 30 points, including Charlotte’s first and last, and took 31 shots.

He sought his own looks first and was not shy about missing 14 of 16 3-pointers. Ball dished 10 assists, committed five fouls, and was plus-15 in 40 minutes in his team’s one-point triumph. He stacked moments both heartbreaking and breathtaking.

2. Bam goes boom, Spo is bummed

Adebayo, the Heat big man who grabbed NBA headlines last month by scoring 83 points in a game, fell 77 short of that when he hit the floor hard in the opening minute of the second quarter.

He injured his lower back and was unable to return. A quick scan of his meager stats and some others – Charlotte’s 17 offensive rebounds and 25 second-chance points, for instance – reveals how much Miami missed him.

Replays showed Ball, who had fallen first, grabbing Adebayo’s right ankle to seemingly trip him. It went uncalled and unreviewed by the game officials but had Heat coach Erik Spoelstra plenty agitated.

“I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play,” Spoelstra said. “He should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys. Somebody has got to see that [when it happens]. He should have been thrown out of the game for that.”

Crew chief Zach Zarba told a pool reporter that the officials did not see Ball’s grab when it happened. Because play continued downcourt, there was no opportunity to review it for a possible flagrant foul. It is possible that the league will assess a fine or suspension for Ball’s dubious maneuver.

The Hornets point guard denied any dirty motive, however. “I apologize on that one — I got hit in the head, I didn’t know where I was, but I’m going to check on him to see if he’s okay and everything,” Ball said. “I said sorry, and I’m going to check on him.”

3. A perfect pickup: Coby White

Charlotte took advantage of a moribund Bulls season to acquire White, a scoring point guard, in a February 4 trade.

Chicago’s since-fired front office didn’t even pry loose a first-round pick in the deal.

White was at his streaky-scoring best Tuesday with the sort of performance that can win a game or two in a long postseason.

After a slow start, White caught fire in the third quarter. He had a rebound, two steals and scored 14 points, including 11 in a row as the Hornets scrambled from five down to lead by six heading into the fourth. The native North Carolinian, who played one season for the Tar Heels, has brought instant-offense from the Hornets bench. He finished with 19 points and was plus-21 in less than 26 minutes.

4. Rookie regression for Knueppel

Miller pulled out of his fouls funk to score 20 points in the second half but Knueppel never did course-correct. He had shot just 34.7% from the arc in the Hornets’ final 10 games, but this was only his fourth game all season in which Knueppel – who led the NBA in 3-pointers and shattered the rookie record – couldn’t hit a single one.

Charlotte coach Charles Lee used Knueppel for only six minutes in the fourth quarter and not at all in overtime. But thanks to his teammates, the Rookie of the Year contender gets a chance at redemption Friday against the Magic or the Sixers.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.  

After putting together a Kia MVP-worthy regular season, Victor Wembanyama readies for his first playoff series.

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This 2-7 Western Conference first-round series between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers is unexpected in some ways.  

Who expected the Spurs to go from 34 victories last season to 62 this season? Who expected the Trail Blazers – under acting head coach Tiago Splitter who took over early in the season – to go from 36 victories to 42? 

San Antonio won the season series, taking two of three from Portland including a 112-101 victory on April 8, a game in which the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle did not play. 

Series schedule

Here’s how to watch the Spurs vs. Trail Blazers series:

All times Eastern Standard Time

• Game 1: Portland at San Antonio | Sunday April 19 (9 ET, NBC/Peacock)
• Game 2: Portland at San Antonio | Tuesday April 21 (8 ET, NBC)
• Game 3: San Antonio at Portland | Friday April 24 (10:30 ET, Prime Video)
• Game 4: San Antonio at Portland | Sunday April 26 (3:30 ET, ESPN)
• Game 5: Portland at San Antonio | Tuesday April 28
• Game 6: San Antonio at Portland | Thursday April 30
• Game 7: Portland at San Antonio | Saturday May 2

* = If necessary

Regular-season results

Nov. 26: Spurs 115, Trail Blazers 102
Jan. 3: Trail Blazers 115, Spurs 110
Apr. 8: Spurs 112, Trail Blazers 101

Top storyline

Victor Wembanyama’s first playoff series. In his third season, Wembanyama was special – special enough to warrant Kia MVP consideration and put himself in outstanding position to win his first Defensive Player of the Year Award. This season, he averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and 1.0 steals and shot 51.2% from the field, 34.9% on 3-pointers. His impact shines in other statistics, too. The Spurs are elite with Wembanyama on the court, scoring 120.5 points and allowing 103.6 points per 100 possessions – plus-17 net rating. When he’s not in the game, those stats drop to 114.3/113.7/plus-0.6). How will that translate in the 22-year-old star’s first playoffs? How does the seemingly unflappable Wembanyama handle the gravity of a best-of-seven series? 

Keep your eyes on

Mitch Johnson. A historian needs to go back to the late 1990s to find a Spurs playoff team not coached by Gregg Popovich. That changes with this Spurs series against the Trail Blazers. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson took over for Popovich near the start of the 2024-25 season after Popovich had a stroke. Johnson was the interim coach last season and got the full-time job. It will be fascinating to watch his decisions. Popovich is the Spurs’ president of basketball operations, and Johnson has Pop’s mentoring and insight. It’s an advantage to rely on a guy who coached a team to five NBA championships, 22 consecutive playoff appearances and 170-114 career playoff record. 

One more thing to watch for each team

For Spurs: Their young(ish) guys beyond Wembanyama were tremendous this season, too. But key contributors Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant have never played in the playoffs. They will encounter stressful moments, and watching the Spurs work through those times – with the help of veterans De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes – is a compelling subplot. 

For Trail Blazers: Forward Deni Avdija posted All-NBA-caliber numbers this season: career highs in points per game (24.2), free-throw percentage (80.2%) and assists (6.7) along with 46.2% shooting from the field and 6.9 rebounds per game. The Blazers have an intriguing present and future with a talented roster and a new ownership group led by Tom Dundon. 

One key number to know

16% — The Blazers got 16% of their points, the league’s highest rate, from second chances. They ranked fourth in offensive rebounding percentage (35.4%) and third in second-chance points per 100 possessions (18.1). Only the Nets and Wizards were less efficient than the Blazers in regard to initial offense (prior to a rebound), and no team relied more on second chances to score.

Now they’ll face the team (San Antonio) that led the league in defensive rebounding percentage (72.4%). The Blazers had some success on the offensive glass in the regular season series, retaining 32.5% of available offensive boards over their three games against the Spurs, the fifth highest rate for any team against the Spurs. But all three games were played without Victor Wembanyama, who had the highest individual defensive rebounding percentage (28.5%) among players who averaged at least 10 minutes in 40 games or more.

— John Schuhmann

The pick

Spurs in five. The Spurs have too much offense and too much defense – ranked No. 3 in both categories – and too much Wembanyama. 

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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.