NBA playoffs 2026: Hornets beat Heat, and 1 bettor stays alive for chance to win $5 million
One bettor will win $5 million if the Charlotte Hornets win the NBA championship.
The Charlotte Hornets have been both an incredibly exciting team to watch and one of the NBA’s best over the second half of the season. Charlotte went 18-9 after the All-Star break to make the NBA play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed, and the Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 127-126 on Tuesday night to stay alive in their hopes for making the playoffs.
LaMelo Ball had 30 points (on 12-of-31 shooting) to lead Charlotte, although the NBA will be reviewing Ball’s grab of Bam Adebayo’s ankle on a rebound, which caused Adebayo to fall awkwardly and miss the rest of the game. Charlotte will face the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic game on Wednesday, and if the Hornets win, they’ll be the No. 8 seed and face the Detroit Pistons in the first round.
It would be the first time Charlotte has made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. It would also mark another step on the path for one bettor to win $5 million. A bettor at DraftKings placed a $12,500 futures wager on the Hornets to win the NBA title at 400-1 odds in early February, which would pay out $5 million if Charlotte wins the championship.
The Hornets have never made the conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals in the franchise’s history. It’s admittedly quite a long-shot wager, as even if the Hornets make it to the postseason, they’ll have their hands full against Detroit, the top seed in the East. The Pistons were 3-0 against the Hornets in their regular-season matchups.