CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo limped off the court early in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s play-in game against Charlotte when he got tripped by Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, causing him to land hard on his back.

Ball was on the ground and appeared to take a swipe at Adebayo’s left foot with his left hand, causing Adebayo to fall backward. Adebayo stayed down as the action moved to the other end of the court and then back again before play was stopped.

After being attended to by trainers, he got to his feet and walked off under his own power and was taken to the locker room. Adebayo, who scored 83 points in a game last month, did not return for the remainder of the quarter.

The Heat said Adebayo was questionable to return.

Ball was not called for a foul and the play could not be reviewed because play wasn’t stopped.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

The Dodgers close out their homestand on Wednesday night against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium, on the 79th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut with Brooklyn in 1947. All uniformed personnel on Wednesday will wear number 42.

Shohei Ohtani, who has not allowed an earned run in 12 innings so far this season, starts on the mound on Wednesday night. Right-hander Clay Holmes starts for the Mets.

The series finale is an exclusive telecast on ESPN. Joe Buck will call play-by-play, alongside analysts Orel Hershiser and Ron Darling, plus reporter Buster Olney.

Wednesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Mets
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Miami Heat’s quest to come out of the NBA Play-In Tournament may have just become a lot more difficult.

Early in the second quarter, Heat captain Bam Adebayo was shaken up when he took a hard fall on the court. He’s questionable to return with a lower back injury, per the Heat.

During the play, Adebayo was trying to save a ball from going out of bounds when Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball took Adebayo’s foot out from under him. Adebayo lost his balance and then fell on his backside, landing on his tailbone. Adebayo fell without the ability to brace himself. He remained down in discomfort for a minute or so, but eventually walked off.

He got up on his under his own power, though he walked gingerly into the locker room for observation.

Bam Adebayo falls hard and walks gingerly to the locker room after LaMelo Ball grabs his foot while in mid-air, swinging it (with replays) pic.twitter.com/bI3gC13xKk

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 15, 2026

With his ability to guard every position on the floor, Adebayo is Miami’s anchor on defense. A three-time All-Star and five-time All-Defense selection, Adebayo averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 73 appearances.

On March 10, Adebayo scored the second-most points in a single game in NBA history, when he dropped 83 on the Washington Wizards.

This story will be updated

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bam Adebayo injury update after LaMelo Ball tie-up in Heat-Hornets

Things got heated early in Tuesday’s play-in game between the Heat and Charlotte Hornets after a hard fall to the court by Miami’s Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo grabbed a rebound after a LaMelo Ball layup was blocked. As Adebayo landed near the baseline, Ball, on the ground, grabbed the back of Adebayo’s left ankle while Adebayo’s right leg was in the air.

Adebayo fell hard to the court and was in immediate pain.

He needed help up from the court and eventually walked to the locker room. The Heat listed him as questionable to return with a lower back injury.

No foul on LaMelo, no review of play

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, meanwhile, was heated on the Miami bench. Officials didn’t call a foul on Ball, and Spoelstra’s pleas to review the play for a potential flagrant foul went unheeded.

Referee Zach Zarba told the Amazon Prime broadcast that the play wasn’t eligible to be reviewed because it wasn’t immediately stopped, and there was a change of possession.

The Hornets led, 30-26 at the time of Adebayo’s injury early in the second quarter. He didn’t return in the first half, and the Heat went into halftime with a 54-52 lead.

He remained out of the game for the start of the third quarter, but the Heat had not ruled him out. Jaime Jaquez Jr. got the second-half start in his place.

A three-time All-Star and a force on both sides of the court, Adebayo is the best big in the game and gives Miami an edge inside when he’s on the court. Adebayo had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes at the time of his injury.

This story will be updated.

Things got heated early in Tuesday’s play-in game between the Heat and Charlotte Hornets after a hard fall to the court by Miami’s Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo grabbed a rebound after a LaMelo Ball layup was blocked. As Adebayo landed near the baseline, Ball, on the ground, grabbed the back of Adebayo’s left ankle while Adebayo’s right leg was in the air.

Adebayo fell hard to the court and was in immediate pain.

He needed help up from the court and eventually walked to the locker room. The Heat listed him as questionable to return with a lower back injury.

No foul on LaMelo, no review of play

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, meanwhile, was heated on the Miami bench. Officials didn’t call a foul on Ball, and Spoelstra’s pleas to review the play for a potential flagrant foul went unheeded.

Referee Zach Zarba told the Amazon Prime broadcast that the play wasn’t eligible to be reviewed because it wasn’t immediately stopped, and there was a change of possession.

The Hornets led, 30-26 at the time of Adebayo’s injury early in the second quarter. He didn’t return in the first half, and the Heat went into halftime with a 54-52 lead.

He remained out of the game for the start of the third quarter, but the Heat had not ruled him out. Jaime Jaquez Jr. got the second-half start in his place.

A three-time All-Star and a force on both sides of the court, Adebayo is the best big in the game and gives Miami an edge inside when he’s on the court. Adebayo had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes at the time of his injury.

This story will be updated.

The Mets are dealing with another potential IL situation on their roster.

Before Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was asked why he decided to go with Mark Vientos over Jared Young at first base, and the skipper revealed that Young is dealing with a knee injury. 

“Jared is dealing with some left knee discomfort. Happened Sunday after the game,” Mendoza said. “Didn’t get better yesterday, so we have to see what we’re dealing with here.

When asked if an IL stint is possible, Mendoza said it was but that they have to wait and see the results from imaging they had done on Tuesday. 

“Yea we have to see what we’re dealing with and see what we got,” Mendoza said of a potential IL stint for Young. “Have to check in to see if he’s available today. And then we’ll go from there.”

Young has appeared in 11 games so far this season, mostly off the bench, but has been effective in his handful of starts. This year, he’s 7-for-20 with two doubles, two RBI with a .391 OBP. 

In Young’s last game, Sunday against the Athletics, he went 1-for-2.

The Mets are dealing with a few injuries on their roster. Of course, Juan Soto is on the IL and they just placed reliever Joey Gerber on the IL with a blister. Jorge Polanco is dealing with Achilles tendinitis and has been in and out of the lineup — and unable to play first base. 

The injuries are a part of the Mets’ early-season struggles, along with their lack of offense. Mendoza has changed his lineup a bit in recent games to try and get a spark from his bats.

For Tuesday’s game, Mendoza moved Vientos down in the lineup and explained that he just liked Francisco Alvarez‘s at-bats right now. 

“Just continue to move guys around and continue to get guys going,” Mendoza said. 

One aspect of the lineup he won’t change, for the time being, is moving Francisco Lindor out of the leadoff spot. 

“Not at this point,” Mendoza said of the proposition. “He’s too good of a hitter. I haven’t considered that.” 

After a hot stretch, Vientos is just 2-for-24 over his last seven games. Lindor’s slump has been season long. The shortstop is slashing .176 with an OBP of .291 and has not recorded an RBI yet. 

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe made his first rehab start on Tuesday night, playing for Double-A Somerset and it was a bit of a mixed bag.

Volpe finished the game going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, but he was going up against one of the best pitchers in the league, Zack Wheeler.

The Phillies ace was making a rehab start of his own, and the right-hander struck Volpe out swinging on three pitches. In Volpe’s second at-bat, he put up more of a fight. Volpe worked the count full and fouled off a couple of pitches before Wheeler finally got the young infielder to strike out swinging on a nasty sweeper. 

In the field, Volpe made every play hit to him at shortstop. Rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, Volpe is showing no effects of the injury that hampered his offensive and defensive performance in 2025. He was eventually pulled after five innings. 

Volpe had his worst statistical season last year, batting .212 with 19 home runs and a career-low .272 OBP. He also had a career-high 19 errors in the field.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Volpe will play about three to five innings in his first couple of starts before building him up. The Yankees skipper said that Volpe has had more than 50 live at-bats in the Yankees complex in Tampa and has put in a lot of work at shortstop, so he considers Volpe ahead of where players are at when spring training begins. 

Anthony Volpe fields his first chance in his first rehab appearance for Somerset pic.twitter.com/mi70G9ozE7

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 14, 2026

Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. was also playing in Somerset on Tuesday and started at third base to pair with Volpe. Lombard was a victim of a Wheeler strikeout in the first inning, going down in six pitches. But the second at-bat, he launched a 3-1 pitch deep to right-center field, but the ball died at the wall and was caught for the first out of the fourth inning.

Lombard has had a hot start to his Double-A season. He entered Tuesday’s game hitting .464 with five doubles, two home runs and four RBI in seven games.

NBA general managers and scouts are heading home from the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament with plenty to think about after three weeks of incredible action on the court. Now they have to figure out which March Madness performances are indicators of future greatness and which are more of a mirage.

The 2026 NBA draft is expected to take place in late June. In USA TODAY’s latest mock draft , Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance is expected to go in the first round after declaring on Tuesday. Here’s how USA TODAY currently projects the Forward’s draft night will play out.

Our draft order is based on ESPN’s projected records and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Jayden Quaintance 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 17 overall, Charlotte Hornets (via Suns)

Kalbrosky’s Analysis:

Jayden Quaintance recorded just one start during his sophomore campaign as he recovered from a torn ACL, meniscus and fractured knee. The big man is still one of the youngest players in this class, but he has shown flashes during his time at Arizona State and Kentucky. When healthy, he is arguably the most talented defender in this draft class and could help a team that desperately needs frontcourt help, like the Hornets. But health may cause some concern for evaluators.

See USA TODAY’s full mock draft 10.0 here

Jayden Quaintance player profile

(all stats as of April 8)

• Position: Forward
• Current Team: Kentucky
• 5 points per game
• 5 rebounds per game
• 0.5 assists per game
• 57.1 field goal percentage
• 0.0 three-point field goal percentage

Charlotte Hornets 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 14 and No. 17 (via PHX)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jayden Quaintance NBA mock draft projection: Where Kentucky star is expected to land after March Madness