LaMelo Ball was so excited after delivering a knockout blow to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament that he carried it over to his victory celebration, delivering two jabs to the oversized head of Charlotte Hornets mascot Hugo.

LaMelo Ball made a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s attempt at a winning layup at the buzzer, and the Charlotte Hornets beat Miami 127-126 in a wild start to the NBA’s play-in games, eliminating the Heat from the playoffs.

The global “6-7” craze is still going strong at pro and college basketball games.

Detroit center Isaiah Stewart was suspended seven games by the NBA on Wednesday, while three other players were also penalized for their roles in a fight during a game between the Pistons and Charlotte Hornets.

A fight broke out between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets in the third quarter of Monday night’s game, and four players were ejected.

Miles Bridges scored 26 points, Kon Knueppel had 23 and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 126-119 for their ninth straight win.

The Charlotte Hornets are bringing Coby White back home to North Carolina, where he is the state’s career high school scoring leader and played for the Tar Heels.

Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for their 13th straight victory, 118-117 over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Miles Bridges scored 29 points, LaMelo Ball added 27 and the Charlotte Hornets stunned LeBron James and Luka Doncic with a 100-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

The Boston Celtics stayed cool while Charlotte Hornets lost theirs.

Kawhi Leonard will miss the Los Angeles Clippers’ playoff opener against the Dallas Mavericks.

Kyle Kuzma scored 28 points, Deni Avdija added 18 and the Washington Wizards snapped their 16-game losing streak with a 112-100 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, Damian Lillard had 23 points and Bobby Portis scored 21 as the Milwaukee Bucks pounded the Charlotte Hornets 123-85 for their most lopsided victory of the season.

Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks said Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart punched him Wednesday at the arena hours before the teams were due to play each other.

Court documents show that criminal charges connected to a domestic violence case against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges have been dropped because of “insufficient evidence."

Miles Bridges had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 111-102 to improve to 2-0 since the arrival of five new players via trade.

RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Jakob Poeltl had two big plays in the 90 seconds and the Toronto Raptors overcame a career-high 45 points from Miles Bridges to beat Charlotte 123-117 and hand the Hornets their ninth straight loss.

Anthony Davis had 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for his third career triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers held on to defeat the short-handed Charlotte Hornets 124-118.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been denied entrance to Canada due to his past legal problems and will not be available to play Monday night in Toronto against the Raptors, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has turned himself in after a warrant was issued for an alleged protection order violation stemming from a domestic violence case last year.

Hornets forward Miles Bridges’ latest legal issues have clouded his future on and off the basketball court.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has apologized for “the pain and embarrassment” caused by the domestic violence investigation that kept him out of the league last season.

The timing of Michael Jordan’s decision to sell his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets leaves the franchise in flux, with several key personnel decisions upcoming.

Victor Wembanyama’s NBA draft experience will be quite unlike last year’s No. 1 pick.

Forward Miles Bridges will need to serve a 10-game suspension once he signs a contract with an NBA team.

Miles Bridges’ future with the Charlotte Hornets remains uncertain as the team opens training camp on Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to felony domestic violence charges after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children last month.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is facing three felony domestic violence charges in Southern California after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children last month.

The Los Angeles Police Department says Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been charged with felony domestic violence.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been arrested in Los Angeles on the eve of NBA free agency after a warrant was issued, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to terms on a contract with Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson to be their next head coach, says a person familiar with the situation.

The Charlotte Hornets have fired coach James Borrego.

Trae Young bounced back from a sluggish start to score 24 points and De’Andre Hunter led a third-quarter surge that carried the Atlanta Hawks to a 132-103 play-in rout of the Charlotte Hornets.

LaMelo Ball had 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets spoiled Kyrie Irving’s first home game of the season by beating the Brooklyn Nets 119-110.

Kyrie Irving hit nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 50 points, and the Brooklyn Nets snapped a four-game skid with a 132-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The NBA All-Star Game seems to be tailor-made for Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball.

Miles Bridges had 26 points, Ish Smith provided a huge boost off the bench with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting and the Charlotte Hornets held off the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 117-114 on Friday night.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and the short-handed Phoenix Suns hammered the Charlotte Hornets 133-99.

Terry Rozier scored 27 points and made seven 3-pointers, and the Charlotte Hornets routed the Houston Rockets 123-99 for their second straight win.

Devin Booker had 16 points in his return to Phoenix’s lineup and the NBA-leading Suns set a season-scoring high in a 137-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.

Christian Wood scored a career-high 33 points and had 16 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets beat the Charlotte Hornets 146-143 in overtime on Saturday night.

Terry Rozier had a big jump-ball win and made two late free throws to help the Charlotte Hornets snap the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak at seven, 106-102 on Sunday night.

Richaun Holmes had 23 points and a career-best 20 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings made a franchise-record 22 3-pointers in a 140-110 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Miles Bridges had 32 points and nine rebounds, Ish Smith added 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and the Charlotte Hornets improved to 3-0 for the first time by beating the Brooklyn Nets 111-95.

LaMarcus Aldridge has rejoined the Brooklyn Nets, five months after having to retire because of an irregular heartbeat.

The USA Select Team will be without three players for the remainder of Olympic training camp for coronavirus-related reasons, though there are no indications that any cause for concern exists past those players.

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball’s versatility as a passer, scorer and rebounder earned him NBA Rookie of the Year honors despite missing 21 games with a fractured wrist.

Domantas Sabonis had 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists, and the short-handed Indiana Pacers routed the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 in the Eastern Conference’s first play-in game.

LaMelo Ball returned from a 21-game absence with 11 points, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 107-94 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, left, looks to pass against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. Hayward took the road less traveled this offseason when he opted out of his contract with the high-profile Celtics and chose to come to Charlotte to take on a more prominent role and the opportunity to help build a young Hornets team into a playoff contender. When the Hornets need a basket in the fourth quarter, they often defer to Hayward. “It seems like yesterday that I was these guys — I was the young guy,” Hayward said with a laugh. Hayward said his sole focus is on helping the Hornets end a four-year playoff drought.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms — whose city was picked to play host to the NBA All-Star Game and skills competitions on March 7 — raised major concerns about the notion of fans coming to the city for the events. Their games are halted because they were the last team to play the Spurs, losing to them on Sunday. AdThe NBA does not reveal which players tested positive, but its announcement of the latest postponements said the Spurs had positive tests among players — and did not mention coaches. “Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to host the NBA All-Star game, but this is not a typical year," Bottoms said. “I have shared my concerns related to public health and safety with the NBA and Atlanta Hawks.