While there was clearly excitement on the basketball court between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday, it was the heat in the stands between Nashville's Hayden Panettiere and pro boxer Wladimir Klitschko that's got several people's attention.

The couple, who is said to have reunited with each other in January after initially splitting in May 2011, couldn't keep their hands off each other during the Heat's 26th consecutive win.

At one point during the NBA matchup, Klitschko, 37, leaned in for a kiss on Panettiere, 23, who was dressed to impress in a hot-pink top and jeans.

The public display of affection clearly contradicts their denial of a romance in January when the actress told TMZ that they were "just good buddies."

At the time of the gossip site's questioning, the Golden Globe nominee was just again becoming single, as she'd called it quits with NFL player Scotty McKnight in December.

"They never fell completely out of touch," an Us Weekly insider said of the actress and her heavyweight boxing squeeze.

In the past, Panettiere also dated her old Heroes costar Milo Ventimiglia and former One Tree Hill cast member Stephen Colletti. She joked to Us in 2011 that she preferred athletes to actors.

"See, I date two athletes and then people assume I only like athletes, but if I dated all actors, people wouldn't say anything. But I like [dating athletes]. It's been a really cool thing, because they're in similar circles, when they understand the schedule, the work ethic, the social aspect, but they're not exactly in your industry, so it works out well," she told the entertainment publication.

Tags: Hayden Panettiere