yahoo - 4/15/2026 3:31:37 AM - GMT (+2 )
Things got heated early in Tuesday’s play-in game between the Heat and Charlotte Hornets after a hard fall to the court by Miami’s Bam Adebayo, that knocked him out of the game.
Adebayo grabbed a rebound after a LaMelo Ball layup was blocked. As Adebayo landed near the baseline, Ball, on the ground, grabbed the back of Adebayo’s left ankle while Adebayo’s right leg was in the air.
Adebayo fell hard to the court and was in immediate pain.
Replay of LaMelo Ball grabbing Bam Adebayo’s ankle before Bam Adebayo landed on his tailbone pic.twitter.com/KVv1rkjxm2
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He needed help up from the court and eventually walked to the locker room. The Heat listed him as questionable to return with a lower back injury before ruling him out late in the third quarter.
No foul on LaMelo, no review of playHeat coach Erik Spoelstra, meanwhile, was heated on the Miami bench. Officials didn’t call a foul on Ball, and Spoelstra’s pleas to review the play for a potential flagrant foul went unheeded.
Referee Zach Zarba told the Amazon Prime broadcast that the play wasn’t eligible to be reviewed because it wasn’t immediately stopped, and there was a change of possession.
The Hornets led, 30-26 at the time of Adebayo’s injury early in the second quarter. He didn’t return in the first half, and the Heat went into halftime with a 54-52 lead.
He remained out of the game for the start of the third quarter, but the Heat had not yet ruled him out. Jaime Jaquez Jr. got the second-half start in his place, and Miami eventually ruled him out in the final minutes of the third.
A three-time All-Star and a force on both sides of the court, Adebayo was the best big in the game and gave Miami an edge inside when he was on the court. Adebayo had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes before leaving the game.
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