Wiktionary
air ball
n. 1 (context basketball English) A thrown ball that misses the basket, and completely fails to touch the net or supporting hoop. 2 (''hence'') Any ball-like object that widely misses its intended target when thrown.
Wikipedia
Air ball
In basketball, an air ball is a shot that misses both the rim and the backboard.
Usage examples of "air ball".
Nothing would be pleasanter than to read in a well-written book of an open-air ball that took place a century ago.
If someone ran fast straight ahead, they had lofted an air ball and it was rolling into the garage.