{"id":229320,"date":"2026-04-13T04:50:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T04:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229320\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T04:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T04:50:14","slug":"hornets-set-to-host-miami-heat-in-nba-play-in-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229320\/","title":{"rendered":"Hornets set to host Miami Heat in NBA play-in tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York<\/p>\n

It\u2019s finally happening.<\/p>\n

Nearly a decade after the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> hosted their last postseason game, they will finally have the opportunity to do it again thanks to finishing the 2025-26 campaign ahead of one of their biggest Southeast Division rivals.<\/p>\n

With Sunday night\u2019s 110-96 victory at Madison Square Garden over the New York Knicks, who were resting the majority of their starters since they were already locked into their postseason spot, the Hornets secured the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference in the NBA\u2019s play-in tournament.<\/p>\n

Completing their best overall finish during the past 10 years gave the Hornets (44-38) a one-game edge over the 10th-place Miami Heat, and that advantage leads to Charlotte welcoming the Heat at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Spectrum Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always take any win you can get, right?\u201d Coby White said. \u201cTen years with no postseason game at home. Play-in, playoff, it don\u2019t matter. The regular season is over with. Now you\u2019re playing for something. So, now you\u2019re playing meaningful games from here on out. So it\u2019s important to play in those meaningful games, not only for us players in general, just for the experience of it to get that feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd not just for your career, but also for the fans, give them something to cheer for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Particularly for a starved fan base that hasn\u2019t had much to cheer about until this season rolled around.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a good one,\u201d LaMelo Ball said. \u201cGood for the city, good for the fans and everybody to handle business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kon Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets gestures after a play during Sunday\u2019s first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Jordan Bank Getty Images <\/p>\n

The winner advances to meet the loser between No. 7 Philadelphia and No. 8 Orlando on the road at 7:30 p.m. Friday. That matchup will take place in either Orlando or Philadelphia, with the victor grabbing the eighth seed in the conference and the right to head straight to Detroit afterward to meet the top-seeded Pistons in a best-of-seven first-round series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives you an opportunity and that\u2019s all you can ask for, especially after the start that we had,\u201d coach Charles Lee said, referencing Charlotte\u2019s record of 16-28 in late January. \u201cAnd then for the guys to just be resilient, dig down a little bit more and give ourselves now an opportunity to get into the postseason, it\u2019s exciting. And I know that we are hungry to be able to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting past Miami won\u2019t be an easy feat, though.<\/p>\n

Not only are the Heat battle-tested given this is the fourth consecutive year Miami has been a part of the play-in tournament field, the Hornets also lost to Miami in three of their four matchups this season.<\/p>\n

The good news? Charlotte upended the Heat in its last meeting in uptown, dismantling Miami by 30 points on March 17. The bad news? That win came with Miami missing the services of Bam Adebayo, the Pinetown native and North Carolina\u2019s Mr. Basketball in 2016 who registered the second-most points in NBA history (83) just days before the Hornets beat the Heat. Adebayo sat that one out with right calf tightness, but Charlotte won\u2019t be as fortunate this time around.<\/p>\n

\"Coby Coby White of the Charlotte Hornets controls the ball against Miles McBride of the New York Knicks during Sunday\u2019s first half at Madison Square Garden. Jordan Bank Getty Images <\/p>\n

Adebayo is healthy and he makes the Heat dangerous, leaving the Hornets with a difficult path they have to navigate in order to advance to the full eight-team playoff field for the first time since 2016, when they lost to Miami in seven games.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time we played at home in the play-in, so I expect our fans to show up and show out,\u201d Miles Bridges said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m excited for them, but you know we\u2019ve just got to take it one game at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 12, 2026 at 8:20 PM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Roderick Boone<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he\u2019s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel Air\u201d endlessly.
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