Bam Adebayo proved to be the hero for Miami as the Heat overcame the Brooklyn Nets at the death 109-107.
After both teams spent the better part of four quarters neck-and-neck with each other, Adebayo drained a mid-range jumper as the siren sounded to clinch a crucial win for Miami.
The victory keeps the Heat within two games of securing sixth-place in the Eastern Conference, which would enable them to avoid the play-in tournament.
You just had to be here. s/o @bam1of1 💥 pic.twitter.com/O4aBPjlD11 — Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 18, 2021
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks tightened their grip on that sixth spot with a 122-112 overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite getting off to a strong start, a defensive miscommunication from the Pelicans led to New York's Reggie Bullock drilling an open three to force overtime before the Knicks ran away with it in the extra period.
Julius Randle pulled out another dominant performance for New York, finishing with 33 points and 10 assists.
Terry Rozier (@T_Rozzay3) did it all in the @hornets win! 🐝 34 PTS🐝 8 REB🐝 10 AST🐝 2 STL🐝 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/tyzLGYVZnq — NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2021
Terry Rozier scored 34 points to help the Charlotte Hornets arrest their four-game slide with a 109-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Carmelo Anthony pulled out a vintage display in the loss, posting 24 points on six-of-12 shooting from deep.
The Toronto Raptors handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their 10th-straight defeat to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Chris Boucher led the Raptors with 31 points as they defeated the Thunder 112-106 to hang onto 10th in the east.
SO ICY ❄️ pic.twitter.com/TQ9XAWdvJu — Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 18, 2021
The Atlanta Hawks issued another reminder of their title potential, easing past the Indiana Pacers 129-117.
Trae Young and Clint Capela combined for 59 points in the win, while Capela added a whopping 24 rebounds.
Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings snapped a nine-game losing streak with a dominant win over the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers steamrolled the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-105 and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Orlando Magic 114-110.
