MIAMI — In a case of too little way too late, the NBA ruled after the fact that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball should have been ejected for the trip and takedown that took Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo out of Tuesday night’s play-in game.

With Adebayo lost for the night early in the second quarter, the Heat went on to a season-ending 127-126 overtime loss at Spectrum Center that was decided on Ball’s game-winning driving layup with 4.7 seconds remaining in overtime.

Upon video review of the incident, the NBA issued a statement that read:

“Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $35,000 and assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 upon league office review for making unnecessary and reckless contact with Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo that created a significant injury risk, it was announced today by James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

“The incident occurred with 11:13 remaining in the second quarter of the Hornets’ 127-126 overtime win over the Heat on April 14 in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament.”

Jones is the former Heat championship forward.

Had the Flagrant 2 foul been assessed in real time, Ball would have been ejected at the same time Adebayo hobbled off with the back injury that effectively ended his season.

Because of Ball’s winning basket, the Hornets will play at the Orlando Magic on Friday night for the opportunity to advance to the best-of-seven first round of the playoffs against the Eastern Conference top-seeded Detroit Pistons. Ball is eligible to play in that game, not impacted in that regard by the NBA ruling.

The Heat said Thursday no MRI was required on Adebayo, with X-rays coming back negative on Tuesday night at Spectrum Center.

“I’m still walking, so I’m OK,” Adebayo said Thursday.

No foul was called in real time by the officiating crew of Zach Zarba, Curtis Blair and Gediminas Petraitis.

Afterward, Zarba said to a pool reporter, “The play wasn’t whistled in real time. Play continued with a fast break. And because play wasn’t stopped immediately, and there was no whistle on the play, the window to review the play was closed. Play was stopped, after a change of possession, and then a time out. So, by rule, our window to review that play then is closed.”

Adebayo said Thursday that was the part he found most confusing.

“The officials handled it, I guess by the rulebook,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense that three or four plays can go by and you can review a 3-point shot, but you can’t review a hostile act.”

On the play in question, with 11:13 remaining in the second quarter a Ball floater was blocked by Heat forward Simone Fontecchio, with Adebayo saving the ball from going out of bounds and sending it back to Fontecchio to save the possession.

But as Adebayo stumbled to regain his balance, Ball reached out and pulled on Adebayo’s leg, similar to an incident between the two earlier in Adebayo’s career.

The result left Adebayo writhing in pain, having to be helped off the court, unable to return,

Following the game, Ball said, “I apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was. But I’m gonna check on him and see if he’s OK and everything.”

Adebayo said there has yet to be a follow-up conversation.

“Everybody’s gonna have their opinion on it,” Adebayo said of the play in question. “Nobody’s really gonna know the truth. So it’s really him. And, you know, we move on.”

The eventual ruling was what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wanted to see in real time.

“He should have been thrown out of the game for that,” Spoelstra said following Tuesday night’s loss. “There’s no place in the game for that.”

Blair was standing next to Adebayo as the Heat center fell, staring down toward Ball.

“Curtis was there,” Spoelstra said. “It’s his responsibility to see that. If it’s not his responsibility, then Zach’s got to see it. Somebody has got to see that and he should have been thrown out of the game for that.”

Spoelstra said Thursday he has moved on.

“I’m not really thinking about that anymore,” Spoelstra said during the Heat’s season-ending media session. “I said what I had to say about it. I didn’t think that he needed to be penalized more moving forward. I don’t think that would make sense.

“I don’t think he’s a dirty player. I just think at the moment, both things can be true. In that moment, it was a dirty play and a dangerous play. It should have been caught at that moment, but it wasn’t. And then you move on.”

Adebayo said he did not know if it was anything personal.

“I’ve always had great conversations with him,” Adebayo said. “There’s never been any, like, bad blood between us. It’s always been good.

“Like I said, I can’t tell you what goes through his mind. My thing is, like I said, with the referees and the NBA, I feel like you should be able to review a hostile act no matter how long.”

Hornets coach Charles Lee said he respected the league’s adjudication.

“I think the league handed out something that was what they deemed to be fair,” Lee said in Charlotte. “And we’re glad that we still have him going on to the next game. I know he never has the intent to try to hurt anybody out there on the court. But I’m glad everything’s kind of settled now.”

Ball also was fined $25,000 for the use of profanity in a broadcast postgame interview, as he celebrated the Hornets’ victory.

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