The Portland Trail Blazers locked in a postseason slot on Tuesday after staging a dramatic comeback against the Phoenix Suns, while the Charlotte Hornets moved forward in the NBA play‑in tournament by edging the Miami Heat in an overtime showdown. Both games featured clutch performances, pivotal moments, and a cascade of strategic adjustments that ultimately decided the outcomes.
In the Western Conference showdown, the seventh‑seeded Suns faced the eighth‑seeded Trail Blazers with a direct playoff ticket on the line. The winner of that contest would claim the No.
7 seed and a guaranteed place in the first round, while the loser would be forced into the play‑in bracket, needing to defeat either the ninth‑seeded Los Angeles Clippers or the tenth‑seeded Golden State Warriors to earn the No. 8 spot.
The game unfolded as a tightly contested battle, with Portland trailing by 11 points late in the fourth quarter before launching a decisive rally. Portland’s Deni Avdija emerged as the night’s hero, pouring in 41 points, including a decisive three‑pointer with 16.1 seconds left that shifted the momentum. Avdija also dished out 12 assists, showcasing his all‑around impact.
After the Suns briefly reclaimed the lead at 110‑109 when Jordan Goodwin slipped in a layup with 32 seconds remaining, Avdija answered with a hard‑fought drive to the rim, converting a layup, drawing a foul, and sinking the ensuing free throw to put the Blazers ahead 112‑110. A final three‑point attempt by Suns’ guard Jalen Green missed, and Goodwin’s offensive rebound was stripped by Matisse Thybulle, sealing Portland’s 114‑110 victory. The win elevated the Trail Blazers to the No.
7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, setting up a first‑round clash with the No. 2 seeded San Antonio Spurs.
The game also highlighted Portland’s resilience; despite a dismal third‑quarter shooting performance from beyond the arc (1‑of‑11), the Blazers entered the final period with a narrow 83‑82 lead. Phoenix briefly surged ahead early in the fourth when Green’s jumper sparked an 11‑0 run that put the Suns up 93‑83.
A subsequent steal and three‑pointer by Royce O’Neale extended Phoenix’s lead to 98‑87 with just over seven minutes left, but Portland responded with a flurry of baskets, defensive stops, and free‑throw accuracy that erased the deficit and ultimately delivered the win. On the Eastern side, the ninth‑seeded Hornets faced the tenth‑seeded Heat in a do‑or‑die play‑in game.
Charlotte emerged victorious 127‑126 after an intense overtime period, thanks largely to a game‑winning layup by LaMelo Ball with 4.7 seconds remaining. The Heat, missing Bam Adebayo early due to injury, had initially taken the lead, but the Hornets rallied in the third quarter, propelled by Coby White’s barrage of three‑pointers.
Miami fought back in the fourth, with Andrew Wiggins delivering back‑to‑back threes that swung the lead in the Heat’s favor. However, White’s late bucket forced the game into overtime, where Ball’s decisive play sealed the Hornets’ advancement.
The contest was not without controversy. Miami’s head coach Erik Spoelstra argued that Ball should have been ejected after a collision that appeared to cause Adebayo’s lower‑back injury. Early in the second quarter, Ball missed a drive, fell, and seemed to reach out with his left arm, grabbing Adebayo’s left leg and causing the big man to tumble. No foul was called, and Adebayo, though visibly in pain, got up and left the arena under his own power without returning to the game.
Ball later apologized, explaining that he was disoriented after being struck in the head during the same drive. Miles Bridges capped the Hornets’ triumph with a buzzer‑beating block, effectively eliminating the Heat from postseason contention. The victory propelled Charlotte into the next round of the play‑in tournament, where they will face the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers versus Orlando Magic matchup in the seventh‑versus‑eighth seed game. Looking ahead, the 2026 NBA playoffs are set to kick off on Sky Sports this Sunday, April 19, with four live games broadcast on Sky Sports Action beginning at 6 p.m.
BST. The schedule includes: - 6 p.m.: Eastern Conference No. 7 seed at Boston Celtics (No. 2 seed) - 8:30 p.m.: Western Conference No.
8 seed at Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1 seed) - 11 p.m.: Eastern Conference No. 8 seed at Detroit Pistons (No. 1 seed) - 2 a.m.: Portland Trail Blazers (No.
7) at San Antonio Spurs (No. 2) Sky Sports will also carry all Western Conference Finals games live starting May 20, with match‑ups such as: - Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. 8th seed (to be confirmed) - San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7) - Denver Nuggets (3) vs.
Minnesota Timberwolves (6) - Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5) Additional play‑in fixtures include: - Phoenix Suns (7) 110‑114 Portland Trail Blazers (8) - Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs. Golden State Warriors (10) - Phoenix Suns vs. Winner of Game 2 - Detroit Pistons (1) vs.
8th seed (to be confirmed) - Boston Celtics (2) vs. 7th seed (to be confirmed) - New York Knicks (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6) - Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Toronto Raptors (5) - Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs.
Orlando Magic (8) - Charlotte Hornets (9) 127‑126 Miami Heat (10) - Loser of Game 1 vs. Charlotte Hornets Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports, subscribe to the channel, or stream without a contract via the NOW platform. The expanded coverage ensures that basketball enthusiasts across the UK can follow every pivotal moment of the 2026 postseason, from the opening round to the championship series.