LaMelo Ball wound up as the hero for the Charlotte Hornets in their play-in victory over the Miami Heat, though Erik Spoelstra said he should not have played any part in the win.

Ball made a layup late in the day as well as finishing with 30 points and 10 assists as the Hornets defeated Miami 127-126 in a dramatic overtime victory on Tuesday. 

Miles Bridges had 28 points and nine rebounds as the Hornets won their first postseason home game in a decade, though there was controversy surrounding their triumph. 

In the early part of the second quarter, Ball tripped Bam Adebayo after pulling on his left ankle, with the Heat star falling hard to the floor underneath the basket. 

Adebayo sustained ​a back injury that kept him out for the remainder of Miami's defeat, which saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season. 

With Adebayo still lying at the end line, play ⁠continued with baskets at both ends. Eventually, the action was stopped with ​the Hornets ahead 30-26 with 10:58 left in the period.

Adebayo was able ​to stand up and walk slowly to the locker room for evaluation, though Spoelstra expressed his frustration about the decision not to eject Ball for his foul. 

"I didn't see it [when it happened], but I don't think it's cute," Spoelstra said. "I don't think it's funny. I think it's a stupid play. It's a dangerous play. Our best player was out.

"I'm not making an excuse. The Hornets played great, and they made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win.

"That's a shame. You should be penalised for that. I don't think that belongs in the game – tripping guys, shenanigans."

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Adebayo had six points and three rebounds while making all three of his shots in the first half before leaving the game.

Spoelstra said the officiating crew of Zach Zarba, Curtis Blair and Gediminas Petraitis should've seen the trip and thrown Ball out.

"Curtis was there. It's his responsibility to see that," Spoelstra said. "And if it's not his responsibility, then Zach's got to see it.

"Somebody has got to see that, and that he should have been thrown out of the game for that. I don't know him from anyone. There's no place in the game for that.

"Obviously, it took Bam out of the game, but that did not deter us. If there's anything about our locker room, the guys just got into the competition."

Ball, who became the fourth player with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game, apologised after the game, though that did not soften the blow for Miami.

Spoelstra said the Heat still had plenty of chances to win the game without their best player and Miami felt it would still win.

"You might not see all the action in somebody falling, but you saw a frustrated player," Spoelstra said of Ball after the blocked shot before the injury.

"A frustrated player now can do something frustrated, a frustrating action. And that led to taking our best player out of the game, which was unfortunate.

"Now, I repeat again, that had nothing to do with the end. I don't want to take anything away from the Hornets.

They've had a fantastic second half of this season, and this was just a great dogfight. Whoever had the ball last to make the play.

"I mean, we had the last play, but they made it when it really mattered."