Late Play-In Night Delivers for Blazers and Hornets

On opening night of the NBA Play-In, Portland rallied to beat Phoenix 114-110 to clinch the West No. 7 seed, with Deni Avdija driving for a layup and an and-1 with 16.1 seconds left to take the lead. The Suns now face the Clippers-Warriors winner for the No. 8 seed. In the East, Charlotte outlasted Miami 127-126 in OT as LaMelo Ball, despite a rough shooting night, delivered the go-ahead layup in overtime and Coby White hit a clutch tying 3 to force OT; Ball’s late heroics helped the Hornets advance to face the loser of the 76ers-Magic game. Bam Adebayo missed time with a back injury for Miami, ending their season. The night also produced draft implications, with Chicago picking up a future first-rounder from Portland as part of a 2021 trade that benefited the Bulls.