NBA Investigating LaMelo Ball For Tripping Bam Adebayo In Play-In

Adebayo suffered a lower back injury on the play and did not return, finishing with just 11 minutes of action. Ball scored the winning layup with 4.7 seconds remaining. The play occurred early in the second quarter. After Ball's shot was blocked, Adebayo grabbed the rebound near the sideline. Ball, falling to the floor, swiped at Adebayo's foot, sending him hard to the ground with no whistle. Officials could not review the play because it was not stopped immediately. The play wasn't whistled in real time, referee Zach Zarba told a pool reporter. Play continued with a fast break. And because play wasn't stopped immediately, and there was no whistle on the play, the window to review the play was closed. Erik Spoelstra called for Ball's ejection following the loss. I don't think it's cute, Spoelstra said. I don't think it's funny. I think it's a stupid play. It's a dangerous play. Obviously, our best player was out. I'm not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and they made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win. That's a shame. You should be penalized for that. I don't think that belongs in the game. Tripping guys, shenanigans. Ball issued an apology after the game. I apologize on that one, Ball said. I got hit in the head [on the play] and didn't really know where I was. But I'm going to check on him, see if he's OK and everything. Following the game, video surfaced of a January 2024 regular-season encounter in which Ball appeared to deliberately reach for Adebayo's leg while on the floor.