LaMelo Ball Ripped For Injuring Bam Adebayo, Blames It On Getting Hit In Head

LaMelo Ball is facing a ton of criticism for tripping and injuring Bam Adebayo in a Play-In Tournament matchup on Tuesday ... but the Charlotte Hornets star claims the incident was the result of getting hit in the head.

The play went down early in the second quarter of the elimination game ... when Heat forward Simone Fontecchio blocked Ball's shot, and Adebayo tried to save it from going out of bounds.

Ball found himself lying out on the hardwood during the sequence ... and he reached out and grabbed Adebayo's leg, forcing him to join him on the ground.

Adebayo landed hard and injured his lower back -- resulting in an injury that forced him out of the rest of the win-or-go-home contest.

Ball ended up sealing the victory for the Hornets in overtime with a layup in the final seconds to finish his night with 30 points and 10 assists ... but the big question in his postgame presser was what happened with Adebayo.

"I apologize on that one," Ball said. "I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was, but Imma check on him and see if he’s okay and everything."

When asked whether he intentionally grabbed Adebayo's leg, he deflected.

"I haven't even seen -- like I said, I got hit in the head, didn't even know where I was. But, yeah, just playing basketball. Like I said, sorry, and Imma check on him."

Another reporter questioned whether he was evaluated for a head injury ... and Ball claimed, "I don't even know how them concussions work."

Over on the Heat side, head coach Erik Spoelstra said the act wasn't "cute" ... and felt Ball should have been thrown out of the game for his role in Adebayo's injury.