The Charlotte Hornets survived the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, but did it come with a cost?
Amazon’s Chris Haynes reports the NBA is reviewing a play in the second quarter where guard LaMelo Ball appeared to swipe at the ankle of Heat big man Bam Adebayo, causing him to fall hard to the court.
Adebayo would miss the remainder of the game as the Heat fell 127-126 in overtime.
Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra was irate after the game.
“I don’t think it’s cute, I don’t think it’s funny,” Spoelstra said. “I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play...That’s a shame. He should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys, shenanigans.“
For his part, Ball was apologetic.
“I apologize on that one,” Ball said. “I mean, I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was, but I’m gonna check on him and see if he’s okay and everything.”
Haynes notes that any discipline would be meted out ahead of the Hornets’ game on Friday night at the loser of Wednesday night’s Orlando Magic-Philadelphia 76ers game. The winner of Wednesday night’s contest will become the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed and earn a first-round date with the Boston Celtics. The loser meets the Hornets to determine the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
Ball, who scored the game-winning layup, finished his night with a game-high 30 points, 10 assists and five boards in 40 minutes.
