Although NBA players generally didn't trash-talk each other's families,
all three Ball Family Brothers were playing in the game, making them fair game.
And Ball Dad really was as foul-mouthed as Tagore had said.
He was always spouting outrageous nonsense to grab attention and attract traffic. Anyone would hate him.
So when Tagore cursed out the three brothers, he went straight for Ball Dad, too.
LaMelo had already been driven crazy by Tagore's pestering over the past few games. And now, only three possessions into the game, Tagore had already gotten him three times behind the scenes—and even tripped him up.
That only made him angrier. Now he heard Tagore insulting his family, and LaMelo's temper flared even more.
But LaMelo wasn't some young rookie who'd just entered the league, ready to blow up at the slightest provocation.
He knew Tagore was trying to rile him up on purpose, so he forced down his anger.
He kept changing direction and spinning, trying to shake Tagore.
But Tagore stuck to him like a plaster.
It wasn't until the eight-second mark was nearly up that LaMelo finally managed to dribble across half court.
Once he crossed, Second Ball came over to set a screen for him, and Tagore immediately backed off to the three-point line.
That gave LaMelo another brief chance to shoot, and he didn't hesitate to take it.
After any NBA player made two three-pointers in a row, he might force up a third even without a clear opening. So with a brief chance to shoot, of course LaMelo took it.
But LaMelo was angry, and the shot was off as soon as it left his hands. It only grazed the rim before
bouncing straight to the floor, where Dauding scooped it up under the basket.
That was the impact