The NBA play-in tournament delivered another heart-stopping finish Tuesday night, and a former Tennessee Volunteer was right in the thick of the action. Grant Williams contributed five points and two rebounds off the bench for the Charlotte Hornets in their nail-biting 127-126 victory over the Miami Heat.

Williams, who played 18 minutes in the critical win, is now part of a Hornets squad fighting to end the league's longest active playoff drought. Charlotte's last postseason appearance was in 2016, making every play-in game a high-stakes battle for the franchise and its fans.

The victory propels the Hornets into the second round of the play-in tournament this Friday. They will face the loser of the matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT on Prime Video.

For Vols fans, seeing Williams on this stage is a point of pride. During his tenure in Knoxville from 2016-2019, he cemented his legacy as a program great. Williams was a two-time SEC Player of the Year, a unanimous First-Team All-American in 2019, and averaged 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds over 104 games.

Since forgoing his senior season and being selected 22nd overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williams has carved out a professional career defined by toughness and versatility. After stints with Boston and the Dallas Mavericks, he now brings his trademark physicality and playoff experience to Charlotte's push for the postseason.