LaMelo Ball Fined $60K, But Won’t Be Suspended

The action means Ball won’t be suspended for Friday’s game at Orlando, which will determine whether Charlotte can advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

The play occurred in the first half when Ball had his shot blocked by Miami’s Simone Fontecchio. Ball fell to the court and grabbed Adebayo’s foot, bringing him to the floor as he grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Fontecchio (video link via NBA.com).

Ball would have been ejected if the officials had whistled a flagrant 2 when the play happened, but no call was made at the time. He wound up hitting a game-winning layup in the closing seconds of overtime to end the Heat’s season.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called it a “dangerous play” in his post-game session with the media and said Ball should have been “thrown out of the game” for his actions. “There’s no place in the game for that,” Spoelstra added.

After a hard landing, Adebayo limped to the locker room and was ruled out in the second half due to a lower back injury. He was only available for 11:26, finishing with six points and three rebounds.

Ball expressed regret after the game, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required).

“I apologize on that one,” he said. “I got hit in the head, didn’t know where I was. But I’m going to check on (Adebayo) and see if he is OK and everything.”