The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament is underway, as four teams look to make their case to join the dozen competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Final Four has given way to another first four, as the NBA Play-In Tournament is underway.
Despite the grouping essentially offering a stage to the Association’s mediocrity, the sixth edition of the Play-In features a good bit of prominent talents as the action got underway on Tuesday night: Rookie of the Year hopeful Kon Knueppel headlines the surging Charlotte Hornets, who hosted a long-awaited postseason game against Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. In the nightcap, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns officially looked secure a playoff return when they took on first-time All-Star Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Keep track of the action with scores and highlights below …
An incredible go-ahead basket by LaMelo Ball and a huge block by Miles Bridges to seal the victory for the Hornets in OT!
Charlotte -270
19+ pic.twitter.com/wQIVj9o34S
— PROLINE BC (@ProlineBC) April 15, 2026
(9) Charlotte 127, (10) Miami 126 (OT)
One Play-In Tournament mainstay ousted another in the opener of Tuesday’s madness.
Coby White‘s equalizing, tightly-contested 3-pointer kept the Charlotte Hornets’ magic late run alive, as his triple with just over 11 seconds remaining created an overtime period where the hosts secured a 127-126 decision that kept their season alive at Spectrum Center. Despite a mighty Miami rally, Charlotte secured the win, with LaMelo Ball‘s go-ahead drive with 4.7 seconds on the clock before Miles Bridges rejected Davion Mitchell‘s attempt to go coast-to-coast at the end.
It was a tightly-wound division duel in Charlotte, one that saw the Queen City host its first brand of NBA postseason action since 2016. The Heat were forced to play most of the game without Bam Adebayo, who was lost to back injury when Ball upended him under the basket during a battle for a rebound.
When Adebayo went down, Miami took advantage of rookie extraordinaire Kon Knueppel lacking his usual 3-point prowess, getting into the deep game with 16 three-pointers. Half came from the arms of Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins while another from Tyler Herro created a seemingly impenetrable six-point lead with just over two minutes remaining.
That, however, simply set the stage for a chaotic finish: Brandon Miller sank a three with 18 seconds left before White, a Play-In veteran from his time with the Chicago Bulls, etched his way into potential Charlotte immortality.
DID LAMELO TRIP BAM HERE!?
Not an ideal start to the post season for Miami, as Bam Adebayo exits the court with a lower back injury after a hard landing.#NBA pic.twitter.com/s7x8OOoPIW
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) April 15, 2026
The script was nearly flipped in overtime: an emphatic five points from Bridges, the latter two coming on an acrobatic lay-up, helped create a five-point lead that lasted into the final minute, as did another double from Ball. A three from Herro and a Pelle Larsson steal when the Hornets attempted to eat clock immediately gave the Heat hope. It was fulfilled when Herro was fouled by Ball while going for a three in the corner, and he calmly sank the trio of singles to give Miami the lead back.
Charlotte, however, needed but four seconds to get the advantage back, with Ball scoring off the feed from Miller. It was the last bit of a game-best 30 points for Ball, who more than atoned for a 2-of-16 shooting night from deep. It was then sealed on the other end by Bridges, who managed to swipe at the ball raise by Mitchell before it went down, preventing a goaltending call and igniting a long-awaited celebration for the beleaguered Charlotte fanbase.
Masters of the Play-In, Miami lost an elimination game in the round for the first time in five attempts. Mitchell had 28 points to beat Wiggins by one, while Kel’el Ware paired 19 rebounds with 12 points. The Heat thus miss out on the NBA Playoff for the first time since 2019.
With the win, Charlotte now faces the loser of Wednesday’s tilt between Philadelphia and Orlando on Friday night. The victor in that game will face top-ranked Detroit in the opening round of the proper playoffs.
Team Leaders
Heat
Hornets
Mitchell, 28
Points
Ball, 30
Ware, 19
Rebounds
Diabate, 15
Jaquez, 8
Assists
Ball, 10
DENI AVDIJA CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/4VTjGMvDV6
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 15, 2026
(8) Portland 114, (7) Phoenix 110
Portland’s path in a redemptive season is officially blazed toward the playoffs.
The Portland Trail Blazers withstood a late run from the Phoenix Suns and enjoyed a 41-point outing from Deni Avdija as they secured a thrilling 114-110 decision at Mortgage Matchup Arena. The eighth-seeded Blazers thus gain automatic entry into the playoffs, making their first such showing since 2021.
The last three of Avdija’s massive tally proved to be the biggest additions, as he converted a high-profile and-one situation with just over 16 seconds remaining the give the Blazers a lasting lead. Jalen Green missed a potential game-winner on the other end before Matisse Thybulle stole the rebound from Jordan Goodwin, allowing the celebration to commence in the Pacific Northwest.
Energized by early scoring breakouts for Avdija and Jrue Holiday, the Blazers led by as much as 14 in the first half despite an early 22-point outburst from Green. The Suns sliced the deficit to three by the halftime break, needing less than two minutes to shrink the scoreboard from 12 to three thanks to triples from Goodwin, Dillon Brooks, and Green, the last going down with a second left of the second quarter clock.
With Avdija continuing to lead the way in points, Portland re-established its double-figure lead in the third. But the Suns hyped up their home crowd with a 24-4 run that bridged the latter periods, energized by the return of its 3-point game: after missing its first seven tries with an extra point on the line, Phoenix went 9-of-18 the rest of the way, helping it go by as much as 11 just before the midway mark of the fourth.
That, however, set the stage for a 10-2 run for the Blazers that took things into the penultimate minute. Jerami Grant had two triples in that span before Avdija gave Portland the lead back. Goodwin put up a highlight reel tally after the timeout, but that was just the prelude to the All-Star Avdija’s closing antics.
With the win secured, the Blazers now get a best-of-seven series with the San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix has one more chance to land a playoff ticket on Friday when they face the winner of the showdown between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.
Team Leaders
Suns
Trail Blazers
Green, 35
Points
Avdija, 41
Dunn, 8
Rebounds
Clingan, 11
Ighodaro, 6
Assists
Avdija, 12
Score and Schedule
Date
Game
Time/TV (ET)
April 14
(9) Charlotte 127, (10) Miami 126 (OT)
April 14
(8) Portland 114, (7) Phoenix 110
April 15
(8) Orlando at (7) Philadelphia
7:30 p.m., Prime
April 15
(10) Golden State at (9) LA Clippers
10 p.m., Prime
April 17
(9) Charlotte at PHI/ORL
7:30 p.m., Prime
April 17
LAC/GSW at (7) Phoenix
10 p.m., Prime
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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