Udonis Haslem calls out the refs for not penalizing LaMelo Ball for grabbing Bam Adebayo

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Udonis Haslem calls out the refs for not penalizing LaMelo Ball for grabbing Bam Adebayo originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Miami Heat had to play without Bam Adebayo from the start of the second quarter in their Play-In Tournament game against the Charlotte Hornets. It was an unfortunate injury, but some people are blaming LaMelo Ball for the injury.

Ball grabbed Adebayo's leg, tripping the Heat center up. He then had a hard fall onto his tailbone, which ruled him out for the rest of the game. Ball got away scot-free, which irked a lot of people in the Heat community.

Udonis Haslem is unhappy with the referees after LaMelo Ball's grab​

Many were unhappy that Ball got away with not being penalized by the referees. Based on the replays, he did grab Adebayo's leg prior to the center's fall.

It became even worse for the Heat fans because LaMelo ended up scoring the winning layup for the win. That ended the Heat's season because this was a do-or-die game between the ninth and 10th seeds.

MORE: Bam Adebayo leaves the Heat's Play-In game after taking a hard fall

As a Heat legend and now an NBA analyst, Udonis Haslem was in a unique position to give his take on the matter during the Prime Video NBA broadcast. He does not call Ball a dirty player, but he was unhappy with how the refs handled it.

"Obviously, emotions are flying, everybody's competing at a high level... LaMelo grabs Bam's leg, definitely a little WWE there. I will say Lamelo isn't a dirty player. I don't think he meant to do that intentionally to hurt Bam," Haslem said about the incident that led to Adebayo's exit.

"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."

Now, the Hornets can enjoy their opportunity to reach the Playoffs with another Play-In game. They will be playing against the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, which should be another blockbuster game.

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• Kon Knueppel becomes the first rookie to ever lead the NBA in three-pointers made
• Brandon Miller celebrates LaMelo Ball's unique impact on the court
• Brandon Miller's inspiring message ahead of the NBA Playoffs

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