The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime on Tuesday night. They advanced to the second and final play-in game, for which the opponent is yet to be determined.
It was a solid win for Charlotte. But the on-court performance has been pushed to the side because of a moment involving LaMelo Ball and Bam Adebayo that has become the talk of the town.
NBA GM’s Recent Comment Regarding LaMelo Ball
On a recent episode of the “Hoops Collective” podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps were going over the Ball-Adebayo situation when Bontemps mentioned that a general manager (one who has absolutely no stake in either the Hornets or the Heat) had reached out to him just to ask one question: whether Ball will get suspended or not.
“I had a GM text me tonight, and not related to any of this, and asked because they saw the play later and said, ‘This guy’s got to get suspended, right?'” Bontemps shared during the show.
The play happened midway through the second quarter of Tuesday night’s game. Ball went up for a fadeaway jumper and missed. Adebayo then came in for the rebound near the sideline. He aimed to keep the ball in play.
At that point, Ball was already down on the floor. Instead of staying still, he swung his left arm in Adebayo’s direction and swiped at his foot. The contact knocked Adebayo off balance, and he hit the floor hard.
Adebayo had to be helped off the court by the Heat’s training staff and never came back. He finished with just six points and three rebounds, which proved to be bad for the Heat squad that was relying on him.
Moreover, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear after the game that he was not pleased with what Ball did to Adebayo.
“I don’t think it’s cute. I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play. He should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys. Somebody has got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that…,” Spoelstra said during the post-game interview.
Now, what makes this even more interesting is that Ball apparently tried something similar against Adebayo back last year. Adebayo managed to stay on his feet that time, but the clip has been spreading all over social media.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the whole situation is that Ball was not called for a flagrant foul in the moment. He wasn’t ejected as the play wasn’t even reviewed. After the game, crew chief Zach Zarba explained that because there was no whistle blown in real time, the officials had no window to go back and look at it.
Still, the league will not let it go. According to insider Chris Haynes, the NBA plans to review the play, and a ruling is expected before the Hornets’ next play-in game on Friday.
Sources: NBA to review Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball for taking out ankle of Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo in 2nd Q, resulting in hard spill and back injury that cost him rest of crucial do-or-die play-in contest. Ruling expected before Hornets’ final play-in bout on Friday. pic.twitter.com/o6z9FwFziA
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 15, 2026
On the basketball side of things, Ball finished with 30 points. He played an important role in getting the Hornets past the Heat and into the next round. But with the league’s review still pending, what ultimately happens to him before Friday remains to be seen.
