Hornets' Miles Bridges Says He Contacted Fan on Instagram After Throwing Mouthpiece

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges said he reached out on Instagram to the girl he hit when throwing his mouthpiece during Wednesday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. 

"I lost my cool last night," Bridges told reporters. "...That was embarrassing on my part. ... I take full responsibility."

Bridges was ejected with under seven minutes remaining in the play-in game with his team trailing by more than 30 points. As he left the court, he was seen throwing his mouthpiece into the stands:

The Hornets were ultimately eliminated from the postseason with a 132-103 loss.

After the game, Bridges acknowledged his mistake:

It was the second successive year the Hornets lost in the play-in tournament. In each of the previous two seasons, Charlotte had the ninth-best record in the Eastern Conference and missed out on the playoffs.

The Hornets haven't made the playoffs since 2016, two years before Bridges was drafted.

The frustration clearly boiled over for the 24-year-old, who saw his season come to a disappointing finish.

No punishment has yet been announced for Bridges, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was fined $25,000 in 2016 for throwing his mouthguard into the stands and hitting fan.