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Bam Adebayo exited the game during the second quarter after LaMelo Ball appeared to trip him. The incident occurred in a close match where the Miami Heat lost to the Charlotte Hornets 127-126 in overtime.
Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
The Miami Heat lost more than a play-in game on Tuesday, April 14. Midway through the second quarter of Miamiâs 127-126 overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Bam Adebayo was forced to leave after a sequence involving LaMelo Ball that immediately drew anger from the Heat bench.
According to Yahoo Sports, the play happened after Charlotte missed a shot near the rim. Adebayo grabbed the rebound and came down near the baseline, but as he landed, Ballâwho was on the floor after the previous possessionâappeared to grab the back of Adebayoâs left ankle.
With his right leg still in the air, Adebayo lost his balance and crashed hard onto his lower back and tailbone.
The Heat center stayed down in visible pain before being helped to his feet and escorted to the locker room. Miami initially listed him as questionable with a lower back injury, but he never returned and was officially ruled out late in the third quarter.
Adebayo finished with six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.
What frustrated Miami most was that no foul was called on Ball, and officials declined to review the play. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra immediately argued that the contact should have been ruled a flagrant foul and, after the game, said that Ball should not have remained in the game.
Bam Adebayo left the game after LaMelo Ball appeared to trip him while he was landing after grabbing a rebound.
The Heat bench was upset because they believed LaMelo Ball's actions in tripping Adebayo were dangerous and warranted ejection.
The Miami Heat lost to the Charlotte Hornets with a final score of 127-126 in overtime.
Adebayo's exit was significant as it occurred during a crucial moment in a tightly contested game, contributing to the Heat's loss.

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âI don't think it's cute,â Spoelstra said. âI don't think it's funny. I think it's a stupid play. It's a dangerous play. He should be penalized for that.â
Spoelstra continued, âI don't think that belongs in the game, tripping guys.â
According to referee Zach Zarba, the officials could not initiate a review because play continued and a change of possession occurred before the sequence could be stopped. That explanation did little to calm Spoelstra, who said one of the officials should have seen the contact in real time.
âSomebody has got to see that,â Spoelstra said. âHe should have been thrown out of the game for that. There's no place in the game for that.â
The timing could not have been worse for Miami. Adebayo entered the night coming off the most talked-about stretch of his career. Recently, the three-time All-Star had scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards, the second-highest total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlainâs 100.
But without Adebayo anchoring the paint, Miami struggled to contain Charlotte late in the game. The Hornets eventually stole the win in overtime when Ball scored the go-ahead basket with 4.7 seconds remaining.
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