Hornets star LaMelo Ball was fined $35K for his Flagrant 2 foul on Bam Adebayo during Tuesday night’s win over the Heat in the NBA play-in tournament.
The incident happened in the second quarter when Ball fell to the floor after taking a shot and swiped at the leg of Adebayo, causing the Heat big man to fall hard to the court and leave the game with a lower back issue.
In the moment, the play was not called a foul, but the league reviewed the play and assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for “making unnecessary and reckless contact” with Adebayo that “created significant injury risk.”
Adebayo did not return to the game after the incident and the Heat lost the game in overtime 127-126.
Ball was also hit with a $25,000 fine by the NBA for the use of profane language during a live interview on TV after the game.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was irate after the game over the situation with his star.
“I didn’t see it, but I don’t think it’s cute,” Spoelstra told reporters. “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.”
Ball also addressed the incident after the game, apologizing for the play.
“I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was, but I’m going to check on [Adebayo] and see if he’s OK,” he said.
Ball finished the game with 30 points and hit the game-winning layup for the Hornets in overtime with just seconds left on the clock.
He was also involved in a comical interaction after the game with the Hornets mascot Hugo, who he playfully punched in the head because of the excitement of the victory and caught the character off guard.