Three Takeaways From an Electric First Night of NBA Play-In Tournament After Hornets, Trail Blazers’ Huge Wins

Portland clinched a playoff bid and Charlotte stayed alive in a pair of epic play-in games on Tuesday.

Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija scored 41 and hit a litany of big shots in Portland’s 114–110 win over the Suns to clinch a playoff berth. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Some nights the NBA just delivers, and Tuesday was one of them. 

The opening night of the 2026 NBA play-in tournament was stellar and far surpassed any expectations observers might have had. Two games featuring four teams with very little hope of playoff advancement each came down to the wire and gave us multiple heart-stopping moments. 

In the opener, the red-hot Hornets bested the Heat in overtime 127–126 in a game that was tight throughout and featured multiple plays that flipped the game on its head. Charlotte is advancing, while Miami is heading home for the summer. 

In the nightcap, the Suns and Trail Blazers traded haymakers in a brilliant fourth quarter, but only Portland was left standing at the end, escaping with a 114-110 lead. 

Here are three takeaways from the opening night of the NBA play-in tournament. 

Coby White, LaMelo Ball play heroes for Hornets

LaMelo Ball came up huge with a game-winning bucket for the Hornets against the Heat Tuesday. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Hornets nearly lost their play-in game twice, but a pair of star guards rescued them. 

Coby White was brilliant off the bench for Charlotte, as he poured in 19 points in 26 minutes, while adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Over the final 4:05 minutes of the third quarter, the North Carolina native scored 14 points while going 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from three-point range. That included a buzzer-beater to end the quarter.

COBY WHITE AGAIN 🎯

HE BEATS THE Q3 BUZZER FROM DEEP! https://t.co/OsxMFRqBnR pic.twitter.com/WOE9fozbcx

— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026

After a furious Heat comeback, Charlotte trailed 114–111 with 12.9 seconds left in the fourth. After a timeout, the Hornets got the ball to White on the wing and he immediately turned around and nailed an audacious three-point attempt to tie the score with 10.8 left. That shot sent things to overtime, where a fellow guard closed things out for the Hornets. 

COBY WHITE TIES THE GAME 🎯

WHAT A SHOT!

114-114.
10.8 TO PLAY. pic.twitter.com/MWCQbWOVtd

— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026

Charlotte led 125–120 with 26 seconds left and, after some technical difficulties from Prime Video, fans got to see one heck of an ending. Miami’s Tyler Herro hit a corner three to cut the lead to two, then a steal from Pelle Larsson led to another Herro three-point attempt, but Ball fouled him. The Heat star made all three free throws to give his team a 126–125 lead with 8.7 seconds remaining. Ball soon made up for his blunder. 

After a timeout, the 24-year-old former All-Star got the ball at the top of the key and drove hard to the hoop, got an angle on Jaime Jaquez Jr., and snuck in a layup with 4.7 to go. Miami’s mad rush down the court failed to result in points as Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s desperation shot. 

Ball and White led Charlotte to victory, making up for the absolute no-show from rookie Kon Knueppel, who finished with six points in 34 minutes. The sharpshooter went 2-for-12 from the field and was blanked from deep, missing all three of his shots from beyond the arc. 

The Hornets are now one game away from reaching the full playoff field. They’ll face the loser of Wednesday’s 76ers-Magic game on Friday.

Deni Avdija is a star

Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is becoming a household name in 2026. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Portland’s best player may not be a household name yet, but he really should be. 

Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers to a road win and the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference by putting them on his shoulders. He scored a game-high 41 points while adding 12 assists, seven rebounds and two blocks. It wasn’t just the points, it was how he scored them. 

The 25-year-old repeatedly got into the lane and made ridiculous shots at the rim, including one where he turned Jalen Green inside out with a few crossovers, then weaved his way to the bucket before scoring what would be the game-winning bucket with 16.1 seconds left. He also fouled out Dillon Brooks on the play. 

DENI GIVES THE BLAZERS THE LEAD!

HE'S GOT 41 PTS 🔥

BLAZERS UP 2 WITH 16.1 TO PLAY 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zGK0T7x85I

— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026

Avdija has been a rock all year for Portland, so it’s no surprise that he earned his first All-Star nod this season. The Wizards selected him with the ninth pick in the 2020 draft, but gave up on him after four seasons. Portland landed him in exchange for Bub Carrington, Malcolm Brogdon and three draft picks. It’s been a heck of a deal for the Blazers who have found the cornerstone player they’ve been looking for. 

Now Avdija and his squad will face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs. 

The play-in tournament has never been better

The NBA play-in tournament has its skeptics, but it provided two can’t-miss games on Tuesday. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Despite Prime Video’s technical issues, this was the best night in the play-in tournament’s history. These two games were absolute bangers and are exactly what the NBA needed to juice interest in the event. 

The Hornets and Heat battled back and forth all game, then had a stellar overtime finish. Meanwhile, the Blazers and Suns traded double-digit leads before going back-and-forth with five lead changes in the final two minutes. Unbelievable. 

After a night like that, it’s hard to see how Wednesday night could top it. The Magic and 76ers are up next, while the Warriors and Clippers will close the show. Good luck to all four teams trying to live up to what we saw Tuesday night. 

NBA play-in tournament live updates: Hornets defeat Heat, Trail Blazers clinch playoff berth with win vs. Suns

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