LaMelo Ball hurt Bam Adebayo by tripping him in NBA play-in, and Erik Spoelstra’s response says it all The Heat and Hornets gave us an instant classic to kick off the NBA Playoffs with their overtime thriller, but the conversation following the game was understandably focused on an ugly moment which happened at the start of the second quarter.
LaMelo Ball was driving to the basket when he fell to the ground on some light contact. Bam Adebayo recovered the ball, tried to keep it inbounds on one leg, when Ball tripped the Heat star, causing him to fall hard and be forced out of the game with a lower back injury.
The incident has been hotly debated. The angle above is damning, and it appears clear that Ball tripped Adebayo on purpose. Another angle from behind the play is less conclusive, looking more like LaMelo was flailing while complaining for a foul, and happened to pull Adebayo’s ankle as a result. Further muddying the water was a lack of a foul on the play, with a referee standing right at the baseline, but not making a call.
Adebayo was listed as questionable to return with a lower back injury and was later downgraded to being out — playing only 11 minutes.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was understandably heated after the game and didn’t hold back. While he credited the Hornets for making plays down the stretch, he acknowledged that not having Adebayo hurt his team in the elimination game.
“I apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was — but I’m going to check on hin, make sure he’s okay and everything.”
The big question now is whether or not the NBA will take any action against LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are set to play the loser of Magic/76ers on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. If the league decided a suspension was warranted for the trip it would essentially ensure Charlotte would lose that game, with Ball being the most important player on the Hornets. However, without a foul being called on the play it would be highly unusual for the NBA to suspend a player, meaning that LaMelo could get away with a fine.
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The Heat and Hornets gave us an instant classic to kick off the NBA Playoffs with their overtime thriller, but the conversation following the game was understandably focused on an ugly moment which happened at the start of the second quarter.
LaMelo Ball was driving to the basket when he fell to the ground on some light contact. Bam Adebayo recovered the ball, tried to keep it inbounds on one leg, when Ball tripped the Heat star, causing him to fall hard and be forced out of the game with a lower back injury.
The incident has been hotly debated. The angle above is damning, and it appears clear that Ball tripped Adebayo on purpose. Another angle from behind the play is less conclusive, looking more like LaMelo was flailing while complaining for a foul, and happened to pull Adebayo’s ankle as a result. Further muddying the water was a lack of a foul on the play, with a referee standing right at the baseline, but not making a call.
Adebayo was listed as questionable to return with a lower back injury and was later downgraded to being out — playing only 11 minutes.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was understandably heated after the game and didn’t hold back. While he credited the Hornets for making plays down the stretch, he acknowledged that not having Adebayo hurt his team in the elimination game.
“I apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was — but I’m going to check on hin, make sure he’s okay and everything.”
The big question now is whether or not the NBA will take any action against LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are set to play the loser of Magic/76ers on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. If the league decided a suspension was warranted for the trip it would essentially ensure Charlotte would lose that game, with Ball being the most important player on the Hornets. However, without a foul being called on the play it would be highly unusual for the NBA to suspend a player, meaning that LaMelo could get away with a fine.
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