Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Limited role continues Friday
Rotowire
Diabate closed Friday's 108-97 loss to the Raptors with nine points (4-6 FG, 1-3 FT), six rebounds and one block in 13 minutes.
Diabate managed just 13 minutes in the loss, having exceeded that mark only twice in the past 10 games. At this point, he needs either Jusuf Nurkic or Mark Williams to be sidelined to have any chance of playing a meaningful role. With a back-to-back slated in the coming days, there is a chance that it could come to fruition, at least for one of the two games.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Uncertain to play Thursday
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Diabate is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Knicks due to right knee soreness.
Diabate suffered the knee injury in Tuesday's 134-102 loss to the Hawks and wasn't able to return, but the Hornets aren't yet willing to rule him out for Thursday. A decision on his status will be made closer to Thursday's 7 p.m. ET tipoff.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Fails to return Tuesday
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Diabate recorded two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes before exiting Tuesday's 134-102 loss to the Hawks with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter due to an apparent right knee injury.
Diabate required assistance to the locker room after he appeared to injure his knee while attempting to contest a layup. The Hornets will be back in action Thursday against the Knicks, but Diabate could face an uphill battle to get cleared for that contest.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Injures knee Tuesday
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Diabate sustained an apparent right knee injury during the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game against the Hawks, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Diabate went down under the basket after contesting a layup, and he appeared to grab at his right knee before being helped off the court with 3:58 remaining in the period. The big man is unlikely to return during the final minutes of the game, and he can be considered questionable at best for Thursday's matchup against the Knicks. He posted two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes prior to exiting.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Saturday vs. Brooklyn
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Diabate is in the Hornets' starting lineup against the Nets on Saturday.
Diabate will make his eighth start of the season Saturday due to the absences of Mark Williams (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (neck). Diabate's last start came Feb. 10 against the Nets, when he logged 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks over 27 minutes.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Muted role continues
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Diabate recorded six points (3-5 FG), three rebounds, two assists and one block in 11 minutes during Friday's 118-117 loss to Cleveland.
Diabate managed just 11 minutes despite the fact Charlotte was without Mark Williams who was sitting out on the first night of a back-to-back. The arrival of Jusuf Nurkic prior to the trade deadline signaled the end for Diabate when it came to playing meaningful minutes. He has now played more than 20 minutes only twice in the past eight games.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Plays well off bench
Rotowire
Diabate ended Monday's 130-88 loss to the Kings with 12 points (5-11 FG, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds and two steals across 21 minutes.
Mark Williams (foot) missed this game for the front end of the back-to-back set, though he's expected back Tuesday. Diabate has shown many times that he can be productive when the minutes are there, but there's a logjam at center now that Jusuf Nurkic is becoming more involved. When the Hornets are at full strength, minutes will be hard to come by for Diabate.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Iffy for Wednesday
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Diabate (eye) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Magic.
Diabate sustained the right eye abrasion during Sunday's loss to Detroit. The big man was able to suit up in Monday's loss to the Nets, though he exited the game early due to the right eye abrasion. With Mark Williams (not injury related) off of the injury report, Jusuf Nurkic and Taj Gibson could see a slight bump in minutes if Diabate is sidelined.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Suffers eye injury
Rotowire
Diabate won't return to Monday's game against the Nets due to a right eye abrasion. He tallied 21 points (9-11 FG, 3-6 FT), 10 rebounds and two blocks across 27 minutes before leaving.
Diabate was cruising to a big night prior to going down with the injury. Jusuf Nurkic and Taj Gibson will be forced to hold down the center position during the final period with both Diabate and Mark Williams (not injury related) out.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Available against Nets
Rotowire
Diabate (eye) is available for Monday's game against the Nets.
After exiting Sunday's game against the Pistons with an eye injury, Diabate has been cleared to play on the second leg of Charlotte's back-to-back. Over his last seven games, the big man has averaged 9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.8 minutes. With Jusuf Nurkic available to make his Hornets debut, Diabate could lose some playing time.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Doubtful to return Sunday
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Diabate is listed as doubtful to return in Sunday's game against the Pistons due to a right eye injury, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
In the likely event that Diabate remains out, he'll finish the game with five points (2-2 FG, 1-2 FT) and one rebound across seven minutes after he was forced to the locker room in the second quarter upon taking a hit to the face. Tidjane Salaun, DaQuan Jeffries and Taj Gibson are likely to operate as the Hornets' primary options in the frontcourt for the rest of the contest.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Grabs 15 boards in start
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Diabate notched nine points (4-10 FG, 1-1 FT), 15 rebounds and six assists over 33 minutes during Friday's 117-116 victory over San Antonio.
Diabate got the starting nod Friday, falling one point short of a double-double. With Mark Williams now in Los Angeles, Diabate appears as though he will be the starting center moving forward, despite the addition of Jusuf Nurkic. Although Diabate's overall appeal is somewhat limited, he should be a great source of rebounds, with some upside when it comes to efficiency and defensive contributions.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Set to start against San Antonio
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Diabate is in the starting five for Friday's game versus the Spurs.
Diabate will make his fifth start of the season Friday. The 22-year-old big man is averaging 2.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 30.5 minutes across his four starting appearances in 2024-25.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Logs double-double as reserve
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Diabate recorded 10 points (2-2 FG, 6-8 FT), 13 rebounds and two assists over 22 minutes during Wednesday's 112-102 loss to the Bucks.
Despite registering just two field-goal attempts Wednesday, Diabate reached double-digit points for the fourth time in his last five games thanks to his solid efficiency from the charity stripe. The third-year center finished as the Hornets' leading rebounder en route to his fourth double-double of the season (and his second in his last four games). Diabate has had some solid production off the bench this season, particularly on the glass, but for now, he's firmly behind Mark Williams in the center rotation.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Hauls in 13 boards Saturday
Rotowire
Diabate ended with nine points (2-2 FG, 5-7 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 29 minutes during Saturday's 123-92 victory over the Pelicans.
Diabate led both teams in rebounding Saturday and was one point shy from registering his third double-double of the regular season (and his first since Nov. 16 against the Bucks). Diabate earned significant playing time in November, but he saw his playing time diminish behind Nick Richards and Mark Williams. With Richards now in Phoenix, Diabate has an opportunity to earn a larger role for himself in Charlotte's big man rotation.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Not on injury report
Rotowire
Diabate (illness) is not on the injury report and is available for Friday's game against the Bulls.
Diabate missed the Hornets' most recent back-to-back set due to an illness, but the big man is set to return to action in this matchup. He's averaging 1.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest in his previous 10 appearances while logging 24.1 minutes per game.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Still out Sunday
Rotowire
Diabate (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Pacers.
An illness will cost Diabate both halves of Charlotte's weekend back-to-back set. He should have plenty of time to recover before attempting to suit up Friday in Chicago. Mark Williams has been limited off the bench since making his season debut, while Nick Richards is nursing an ankle injury, so Taj Gibson is a candidate for playing time in Diabate's absence.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Added to injury report
Rotowire
Diabate is questionable for Saturday's game against the Cavaliers due to illness.
Diabate wasn't added to the injury report until Saturday morning, so this appears to be a more recent development. The team should have more information on his availability closer to tipoff.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Moves to bench
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Diabate isn't in the starting five for Tuesday's game versus the Bucks, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Diabate will be replaced by Nick Richards in the starting lineup Tuesday. While Diabate is averaging 3.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals in 23.6 minutes across his last five appearances coming off the bench, the returns of Richards and Mark Williams could result in significantly decreased playing time for the 22-year-old big man.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Set to start Friday
Rotowire
Diabate is in the starting five for Friday's game versus the Knicks.
Diabate will replace Taj Gibson in the starting lineup Friday. Diabate has averaged 0.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists in 31.5 minutes across his previous two starting appearances.
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