With the Miami Heat fighting to keep their season alive, losing Bam Adebayo in the second quarter damaged their chances. It was still a brawl that went to overtime. But the Hornets ended up having the firepower to get the better of Vice City. However, the player with the game winner, LaMelo Ball is drawing attention for his potential foul against Adebayo.

Ball appeared to tug on the Heat star’s ankle, causing his fall and subsequent injury. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra felt it warranted an ejection. And Tyler Herro’s concerning admission helps one understand Spoelstra’s displeasure.

“I’ve played with Bam for a long time and I usually never really see him limp like that. He’s usually a guy that stays in, that tells you how much pain he’s in. He can barely walk to the back and I saw the video he fell really hard. I hope he gets right,” Herro said after the Play-In loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Adebayo is among the most durable stars in the league. He’s played in 70 or more games for four consecutive seasons now. Only a genuine injury would see him exit the game. And Herro made his opinions about the play very clear. “I mean we all know it was not the right play,” he said about LaMelo Ball’s actions.

In all honesty, it could have been reviewed by the officials. While down, Ball did have a grip of Bam Adebayo’s ankles, which caused him to fall. Whether intentional or not is completely up to judgement. But after the game, the Hornets hero didn’t waste any time sympathising with Adebayo.

LaMelo Ball apologises to Bam Adebayo

LaMelo Ball became the villain in the eyes of Heat fans. Almost instantly after Adebayo’s exit, fans labelled the play to be ‘dirty’. Likewise, it was a topic of conversation during Ball’s postgame press conference. And instead of trying to get away from trouble, the Hornets star took accountability.

“I apologize on that one. I got hit on the head, didn’t really know where I was. But I’m going to check on him and see if he’s going to be OK,” LaMelo Ball said during his press conference.

Ball hasn’t had moments in the past to suggest he was trying to hurt Bam Adebayo. It all happened in a flash. LaMelo Ball didn’t exactly have the time to hunt for Adebayo’s ankle to force an injury. Even Heat legend, Udonis Haslem agreed that Ball didn’t intentionally try to injure his former teammate.

But he did feel like the officials should have penalised LaMelo Ball due to the nature of the play.

“I will say LaMelo isn’t a dirty player. I don’t think he meant to do that intentionally to hurt Bam. Unfortunately, the ref is sitting right there. That’s got to be a call. Something has to be called. I don’t know if it’s a flagrant or a regular foul, but something has to be called, and that’s a huge thing to miss,” said Haslem.

It’s going to be a contentious topic largely due to its implications. The Heat lost by one point. One would believe LaMelo Ball wouldn’t have an easy path to the lane had Bam Adebayo been patrolling the area. It was an unfortunate incident that understandably frustrated the Miami Heat. Their season was on the line, and the Heat never got a fair shot at battling to stay alive.

They still persevered and pushed the Hornets into making some improbable plays to eventually steal a result. Least to say, LaMelo Ball wishes Adebayo didn’t suffer an injury because of him. Let’s just hope the Heat star doesn’t have a serious ailment.