Miles Bridges delivered the defining defensive play Tuesday night, and afterward he explained exactly how the Charlotte Hornets closed out a 127-126 overtime win over the Miami Heat.
Bridges finished with 28 points and nine rebounds, but his chase-down block on Davion Mitchell at the buzzer secured Charlotte’s play-in victory.
“I think it was Mitchell on the layup or layup attempt,” Bridges said. “I mean, we just stayed together throughout it all. You know, it was an up and down game.”
The forward emphasized execution on both ends in the final sequence.
“But on that last play, I just seen Davion put his head down and I knew he wasn’t passing it,” Bridges said. “So that’s why I went over to block the shot. But, you know, we did a great job executing on offense. Melo did a great job getting a layup and then we executed on defense on the way down.”
The Hornets needed late shot-making to even reach overtime, including Coby White’s clutch perimeter scoring.
“Yeah, it was great, man,” Bridges said about his postgame moment with White. “You know, cuz I was in the playin two times, lost. Coby’s been in the playin what, four times.”
“For us just to get a win like that… we’re just happy to win. We want to continue to win. We got one more till we can get to the playoffs.”
Charlotte’s composure stood out despite multiple momentum swings, including a late turnover by LaMelo Ball that gave Miami a brief lead.
“Just staying with it, staying in the moment,” Bridges said. “You know, when they trap Melo and he turned it over, you know, we had to move on to the next play.”
“You know, they got what they got. And that’s what happens, you know, in basketball. You always got to move on to the next play.”
Bridges also addressed the second-quarter play involving Bam Adebayo, making clear there was no intent behind the contact.
“You know, I really didn’t have a chance to look at the play,” he said. “But at the same time, I know Melo’s not a dirty player.”
“And you know, I love Bam, man. You know, I’ve been knowing Bam since I was like 15… we don’t wish any harm on him and I hope everything’s okay with him.”
The win marked Charlotte’s first postseason victory of any kind in a decade, something Bridges acknowledged while keeping focus forward.
“Yeah, it meant a lot,” he said. “The hive, they showed up and showed out. And we got them a win.”
“But at the same time, we still got one more game, you know, till the real stuff starts.”
Bridges pointed to a faster start and improved physicality as key adjustments.
“Yeah, I mean past play-ins when we lost, we got off to slow starts,” he said. “Today I wanted to head start the fast start, get us going early.”
“You know, we know the Heat, they’re aggressive team. So, we just wanted to come out with a sense of urgency and physicality.”
He also highlighted Ball’s late-game decision-making as a sign of growth.
“Yeah, you know, that shows growth,” Bridges said. “Before Melo would have shot a step back three to try to win the game.”
“But you know, he has a different sense of urgency. And he’s a winning player… he truly wants to win. And I feel like it’s on full display right now.”
Charlotte now moves within one win of its first playoff appearance in a decade, with Bridges keeping the message simple.
“We want to win for our fans, win for ourselves, and get a taste of playoff basketball.”
