The NBA's Last Two-Minute Report often clarifies close calls, but Wednesday's announcement carried significant weight. The league stated that Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball should have been ejected for a flagrant foul on Miami's Bam Adebayo during Tuesday's critical play-in tournament game.

The incident occurred early in the second quarter when Ball, on the floor, reached out and tugged Adebayo's ankle. The contact caused a back injury that forced Adebayo, Miami's best player, out for the remainder of the game. The NBA deemed Ball's actions "unnecessary and reckless contact," meriting a Flagrant Foul 2, which carries an automatic ejection.

However, no foul was called in real time. This procedural detail proved crucial; because play continued without a whistle, officials were unable to stop the game for a replay review. The missed call left Miami without recourse for a challenge and without their All-Star center.

The game's outcome added a layer of controversy. The Heat, playing shorthanded, ultimately fell 127-126 in overtime. Ball, who remained in the game, scored the decisive layup to seal the Hornets' season-extending victory.

In the aftermath, the league fined Ball a total of $60,000—$35,000 for the foul on Adebayo and an additional $25,000 for using profanity in a postgame interview. Despite the fine and the league's post-game ruling, Ball remains eligible to play in Charlotte's must-win elimination game against the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra expressed clear frustration, questioning how the three-official crew missed the play. "I don't think that belongs in the game, tripping guys, shenanigans," Spoelstra said. "He should have been thrown out of the game for that... There's no place in the game for that."

While the ruling doesn't change the result, it underscores the high-stakes intensity of the play-in tournament, where a single non-call can dramatically alter a team's postseason fate.