Spoelstra says Ball should've been tossed for Adebayo trip - ESPN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said LaMelo Ball should have been ejected early in the second quarter after the Charlotte Hornets star point guard yanked Bam Adebayo's left foot on a rebound, sending the Heat center hard to the floor and injuring his lower back.

Adebayo ended up missing the rest of the game, a 127-126 overtime win by the Hornets in Tuesday night's play-in game.

Though Spoelstra repeatedly made it clear that the Heat made no excuses for losing what was a thriller, the Miami coach said there's no place in the game for Ball tripping up Adebayo.

«I didn't see it [when it happened], but I don't think it's cute,» Spoelstra said after the Heat missed the playoffs the first time since the 2018-19 season. «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, who won the game with a go-ahead driving layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, apologized twice after the Hornets' win. Charlotte advances to play the loser of Wednesday night's play-in game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

«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.»

Ball had a fadeaway shot blocked in the paint, and as Adebayo went for the rebound while trying to stay inbounds, Ball, who fell to the floor near Adebayo, swiped at