Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Has No Explanation For Jayson Tatum Incident In Fourth Quarter Of Game 4

Shandel Richardson

Apr 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots over Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis
Apr 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots over Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis / Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports
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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum were involved in a weird incident Monday in the fourth quarter of Game 4.

It began with Heat guard Patty Mills being called for a foul after accidentally tripping Celtics guard Derrick White. After the whistle blew, Tatum attempted to shoot a 3-pointer. Adebayo responded by contesting the shot, which caused Tatum to roll his ankle. He fell on the court clutching the ankle.

The referees then called a Flagrant 1 on Adebayo. Celtics center Al Horford was then given a technical for shoving Adebayo. At the time, the Heat were making a comeback but were still down 91-78. Tatum then made two free throws as part of the technical with 5 minutes, 4 seconds remaining.

“I don’t even know dawg," Adebayo said when asked for an explanation. "We’re just gonna move on from that. You’re gonna get me fined.”

The Celtics were unhappy about the play because the possibility of injury.


"I know that we get to playing around, trying to contest shots after fouls and things like that," Horford said. "You know, there's levels to contest. If a guy is shooting and the play is over with, just kind of let it be. I know [Adebayo's] trying to compete over there. But I was just mad. I don't want to see any of my guys hurt."

Tatum is apparently OK after the fall. The Celtics were especially worrisome because center Kristaps Porzingis left in the first half with an apparent leg injury.

"It looked like he was moving OK," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum. "I didn't ask him after the game, but I'm sure he's fine."

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here