Tuesday night was a perfect display of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s dream when he pushed to create an NBA Play-In Tournament. The games between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns featured exciting basketball, maximum effort and matchups that came down to the final seconds.
While basketball fans walked away with a win on the first night of the NBA Play-ins, not everyone went home happy. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the Hornets’ win over the Heat and the Trail Blazers’ playoff win against the Suns.
Winner and Loser: LaMelo Ball, Hornets
On Tuesday night, LaMelo Ball showed the basketball world why the Hornets ignored rumors of trading him in the offseason. With the right pieces around him, Ball can lead a team to the playoffs, and Charlotte may not have survived to play another day without the 24-year-old’s 30 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and scoring a last-second layup in overtime in a do-or-die game.
However, while he is a hero in Charlotte today, he is a true villain in Miami. In the first quarter, he tackled the Heat’s top star, Bam Adebayo, causing an injury and knocking him out for the rest of the game. Given that the Hornets won by 1 point, Heat fans will be wondering all summer what could have been if Ball had not injured their best player. There is now a new villain in the playoffs.
Loser: Bam Adebayo, Heat
In nine seasons with the Heat, Bam Adebayo has developed into a role as the center of this current iteration of the franchise. Additionally, earlier this season, he forever cemented his place in Heat and NBA history when he had a historic 83-point night.
However, this was the fourth consecutive year the team had to play its way into the postseason. That’s disappointing enough, but Ball’s poor play made matters even worse, keeping the three-time All-Star out for most of the game. Now, he and his teammates have to deal with the fact that they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 due to extremely questionable play early in the game.
Winner: Miles Bridges, Hornets
After being selected in the first round in the 2018 NBA Draft, Miles Bridges has had an up and down tenure in Charlotte. He slowly developed into the team’s top star, and when he was set to cash in on his first big contract in the summer of 2022, he missed the entire season after serious domestic violence allegations.
Nevertheless, the Hornets did not give up on him and gave him a chance to rebuild his reputation. That loyalty was rewarded Tuesday when the eight-year veteran scored 28 points, hit five threes and got the game-winning block in the final seconds of the franchise’s biggest game in years. Bridges being a part of the Hornets’ resurgence is a feel-good story in Charlotte.
Loser: Erik Spoelstra, Heat
It has been a disappointing season for veteran Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Despite being far better on offense than many had anticipated after trading Jimmy Butler last year, Miami has largely lagged behind on defense this season. This year’s Heat was a very un-Spoelstra-like group. We got further proof of this when they couldn’t seal a deal to play another day in the fourth quarter.
Now Miami will miss the playoffs for the first time in seven years and will have to figure out how they get back to classic Heat ball this summer.
Winner: Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers
If you were a casual basketball fan and didn’t know much about Deni Avdija, you now know after the first night of the NBA Play-ins. The former lottery pick for the Washington Wizards has finally been coming along the past few seasons, but he took a huge leap forward in 2025-26 as he became the new face of Portland and earned All-Star honors for the first time.
In the franchise’s biggest game in five years, the 25-year-old looked like a superstar as he posted a near triple-double (41 points, 7 rebounds and 12 assists) in his first postseason game. For the first time since Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers have a legitimate star.
Loser: Devin Booker, Suns
Devin Booker is one of the game’s elite scorers and has been so for quite some time. But he’s a five-time All-Star because of his ability to dominate the offense and make his teammates better. The Suns needed it on Tuesday, but their top star was unable to elevate his play in the biggest game of the year.
It was much better weather in the desert than many people expected. However, Booker and his teammates continued to fight hard to take a 10-point lead late in the fourth game.
Winner: Tiago Splitter, Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter deserves a lot of credit. The seven-year NBA veteran was thrust into the top job when Chauncey Billups found himself embroiled in an ugly gambling scandal just as the season began. Despite the messy situation, Splitter guided Portland to its first winning season and playoff birth since 2020-21. It’s hard to say that he hasn’t been able to keep the job next season.
Winner: Jrue Holiday, Trail Blazers
Many mocked Portland trading for aging star Jrue Holiday and his hefty contract. Still, the 35-year-old has played very well in his first season with the Trail Blazers. But more importantly, he once again showed why he is such an impactful player in the most important games, scoring 21 runs in the team’s playoff win.
Holiday is making a lot of money, but for a team that’s yearning for the playoffs, he’s worth it in 2026.
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