The Charlotte Hornets won an overtime thriller at home Tuesday night, edging the Miami Heat 127-126 in the NBA’s play-in tournament.
Forward Miles Bridges scored 28 points as Charlotte kept its season alive and moved within one win of a playoff berth.
Bridges, who has played more than 500 career games without a playoff appearance — the longest active streak in the league — said the team is motivated by how far it has come this season.
“I think both teams didn’t want to go home, but us for sure,” Bridges said. “We had such a great year. We started off bad and we banded together and created a culture here. We want to win for our fans, win for ourselves and get a taste of playoff basketball.”
The victory sends the Hornets on the road Friday night to face the loser of Wednesday night’s game between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The winner of that game will advance to a first-round playoff series against the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons.
