NBA Crew Chief Zach Zarba addressed the controversial no-call that very likely altered the outcome of the play-in game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat.
During the early moments of the second quarter in Tuesday night’s game, Hornets’ LaMelo Ball became tangled with Bam Adebayo, tripped the Heat center, and sent him crashing to the hardwood with a game-ending lower back injury.
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The incident occurred early in the second quarter when Ball appeared to trip Adebayo, who was attempting to reach for a rebound. The Miami center ended up falling onto his backside and was forced to leave the game after logging just 11 minutes.
Despite the dangerous nature of the play and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s fury, no foul was called on the floor, allowing Ball to remain in the game and eventually hit the game-winning layup.
In the official NBA pool report released after the game, Zarba explained why the play was not reviewed in real time.
“The play wasn’t whistled in real time. Play continued with a fast break,” Zarba said. “And because play wasn’t stopped immediately, and there was no whistle on the play, the window to review the play was closed. Play was stopped, after a change of possession, and then a time out. So, by rule, our window to review that play then is closed.”
Bam Adebayo is heading to the locker room after taking a hard fall on his tailbone… Ouch. pic.twitter.com/aA5NCXCZeo
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 15, 2026
When asked if the play was reviewed later, and the possibility of it being a flagrant foul, Zarba responded, “Our crew. We review all our plays, so, we reviewed the play at halftime… At this point, that goes to league operations, and they’ll make a determination on that in the coming days. So, they will make that determination and go from there.”
Miami ended up suffering the consequences of the controversial no-call. While Adebayo watched from the locker room, Ball capitalized by finishing with 30 points and 10 assists.
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In the chaotic final seconds of overtime, Ball drove down the lane and sank a leaning, right-handed layup with just 4.7 seconds remaining to help seal a thrilling 127-126 win.
After the game, Miami’s head coach Erik Spoelstra ripped into the officiating and Ball’s actions, calling it a “stupid” and “dangerous” play while demanding that the Hornets guard should have been thrown out.
Meanwhile, following his overtime heroics, Ball issued an apology for his role in Adebayo’s injury, though he said the trip was unintentional.
“I apologize on that one,” Ball said. “I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was. But I’m going to check on him and see if he is OK and everything… I was just playing basketball. But like I said, sorry, and I’m going to check on him.”
