Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Off injury report for Monday
Rotowire
Ball (calf) is off the injury report for Monday's matchup against the Rockets.
Ball will return to game action after missing Friday's loss to Philadelphia due to left calf injury management. The 23-year-old has made only two appearances in December due to the calf injury, during which he has averaged 24.5 points, 12.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals across 30.0 minutes per contest.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Won't play Friday
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Ball is out for Friday's game versus the 76ers due to left calf injury management.
Ball hasn't suffered any new injury but will sit out Friday's contest due to it being the second leg of a back-to-back. Vasilije Micic will likely receive increased playing time in his absence. Ball should return to action for Monday's matchup with Houston.
Ball chipped in 34 points (11-32 FG, 3-18 3Pt, 9-10 FT), four rebounds, 13 assists and four steals in 34 minutes during Thursday's 123-114 loss to Washington.
While Ball's counting stats were eye-popping, his efficiency was poor in Thursday's loss. Over his last 10 outings, Ball is averaging 31.4 points, 8.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 34.0 minutes. However, over that span, he is shooting just 40.2 percent from the field and 31.8 percent on 13.2 three-point attempts per contest.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Double-double in return
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Ball (calf) racked up 15 points (5-15 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals across 26 minutes during Monday's 121-108 loss to Philadelphia.
The fifth-year point guard had missed the prior seven games with a left calf strain, but Ball looked fully healthy in his return, setting a season high in steals while collecting his fifth double-double in 19 appearances. Brandon Miller (ankle) left the game in the fourth quarter and didn't return, so Ball could see even higher usage in the short term. He may not have much more of a ceiling to reach, however -- on the season, Ball is averaging a career-high 30.2 points and 4.6 triples per game with 7.2 assists, 5.4 boards and 1.3 steals.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Playing Monday vs. Sixers
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Ball (calf) will be available for Monday's game against the 76ers, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Ball has been sidelined for the Hornets' last seven games due to a left calf injury, but the All-Star point guard will make his return Monday while operating on a minutes restriction. In the 10 games prior to his injury, Ball averaged 33.4 points, 7.7 assists and 5.9 rebounds over 35.4 minutes per contest.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Chance to return Monday
Rotowire
Ball (calf) is questionable for Monday's game against the 76ers.
Ball has missed seven straight games due to a left calf injury, but he has a chance to return Monday. The All-Star point guard was on fire before the injury, averaging 40.3 points, 8.3 assists and 7.5 rebounds in 37.5 minutes per game over his previous four appearances.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Limited practice participant
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Ball (calf) joined "group/team setting work" at practice Wednesday, Sam Perley of the Hornets' official site reports.
Ball being on the floor to presumably work in position groups and scheme work sheds light on his status, with key next steps being an ascension to partial contact or mini scrimmages. Ball is due for a formal re-evaluation on his left calf strain in the coming days.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Will miss some time
Rotowire
Ball has been diagnosed with a left calf strain and will be re-evaluated two weeks from the date of the injury sustained Nov. 27.
Ball injured his left calf in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game versus Miami. Two weeks from that date will be Dec. 11, which means a reasonable estimation for his earliest return may not be until Dec. 19 at Washington following the NBA's in-season tournament. The star guard has averaged career highs in points (31.1) and three-pointers (4.7) this season, both of which rank second league-wide. Additionally, he has averaged 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 18 games. Backup point guard Tre Mann (back) has already been ruled out for at least two weeks, which means other candidates to see increased workloads in their absences are Brandon Miller, Seth Curry, Vasilije Micic, Nick Smith and Cody Martin.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Won't play Friday
Rotowire
Ball has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Knicks due to left calf soreness.
Ball sustained the injury during the final sequence of Wednesday's loss to Miami and will continue to be evaluated. However, it's worth noting that Friday's game is the first half of a back-to-back set, so his absence may simply be precautionary, though Ball should be considered questionable at best for Saturday's matchup against Atlanta. With Tre Mann (back) also out, Vasilije Micic, Nick Smith, Seth Curry and KJ Simpson are candidates for increased roles against the Knicks.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Quantity over quality in loss
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Ball logged 32 points (11-35 FG, 7-20 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds and seven assists across 37 minutes during Wednesday's 98-94 loss to Miami.
Ball scored at least 30 points for the fourth straight game, albeit on high volume and low efficiency. With the Hornets very thin at the moment, Ball has taken it upon himself to shoulder the bulk of the offensive load, firing up 130 shot attempts over those four games. While his shot selection may be somewhat of an issue, the lack of a supporting cast should result in him continuing on his merry way.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Will play Wednesday
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Ball (wrist) is available for Wednesday's game against the Heat.
Initially probable, Ball was expected to play through his right wrist soreness. That shooting wrist has been doing a lot of heavy lifting lately as the Hornets deal with injuries. Over the past three games, Ball is averaging 43.0 points on 31.7 field-goal attempts, 8.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 37.7 minutes.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Probable for Wednesday
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Ball is probable for Wednesday's game against the Heat due to right wrist soreness, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Ball was a late addition to the injury report, but the Hornets are still planning on their franchise player being in the lineup. Ball is coming off a monster performance against the Magic on Monday in which he produced 44 points (17-30 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 6-8 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal across 40 minutes.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Reaches 40-point threshold
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Ball notched 44 points (17-30 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 6-8 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal across 40 minutes during Monday's 95-84 loss to the Magic.
Ball was absolutely locked in from the field, where he drilled 56.7 percent of his tries to account for over half of Charlotte's points. He was also productive across the board, falling one rebound shy of a double-double while dishing out a team-high seven assists. Ball didn't get much help, however, as Brandon Miller was the only other Hornet to score in double figures.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Goes for 35 points in win
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Ball contributed 35 points (12-27 FG, 4-14 3Pt, 7-8 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and one steal over 33 minutes before fouling out of Thursday's 123-121 overtime win over the Pistons.
Ball could've won it in regulation for the Hornets with a floater that bounced off the rim, but the star floor general was nonetheless very impactful. Ball has been playing at a high level of late, and he seems to be taking his scoring prowess to a whole new level. He's scored at least 30 points in five of his last seven appearances.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Officially available
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Ball (finger) is available for Sunday's game against the Cavaliers.
Ball was listed as questionable but didn't appear in any danger of missing the second half of Charlotte's back-to-back set. The All-Star point guard played 36 minutes during Saturday's 115-114 win over the Bucks, posting 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Warming up Sunday
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Coach Charles Lee said Ball (finger), who's listed as questionable, will warm up with the intention of playing in Sunday's game against the Cavaliers, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Ball and Miles Bridges (knee) going through their normal pregame routines is a positive sign for their availability, but they likely won't be officially cleared until right before tipoff at 6:00 p.m. ET. Ball played 36 minutes during Saturday's 115-114 win over the Bucks, posting 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Iffy for Sunday
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Ball is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cavaliers due to a left finger sprain.
Ball is in jeopardy of missing his first game of the season, and he presumably picked up the finger injury during the first leg of the back-to-back set in the win over Milwaukee on Saturday. If Ball is unable to play, Tre Mann (back), Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic are candidates to receive an uptick in playing time.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Clutch free throws vs. Milwaukee
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Ball registered 26 points (7-20 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 11-11 FT), nine rebounds and six assists over 36 minutes in Saturday's 115-114 win over the Bucks.
Ball struggled with his efficiency from the floor Saturday, but he came up clutch in the fourth quarter when he scored 15 of his 26 points, including the game-winning free throws with just seconds remaining. Since Nov. 1, Ball has averaged 30.1 points, 5.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 33.8 minutes per game.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Excellent effort not enough
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Ball posted 35 points (13-27 FG, 6-14 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds and seven assists across 35 minutes during Tuesday's 114-89 loss to the Magic.
Ball was a one-man wrecking crew for the Hornets in this game, but his efforts were not enough, and the Hornets still lost by 25 points. Ball is enjoying an outstanding start to the campaign and has been one of the top guards in fantasy, regardless of the format. Aside from scoring at least 30 points in his last three games, he's putting up averages of 29.9 points, 6.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest in 11 appearances and 33.6 minutes per tilt.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Explodes offensively in OT loss
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Ball racked up 38 points (13-30 FG, 6-18 3Pt, 6-7 FT), four rebounds, eight assists and two steals over 41 minutes during Sunday's 107-105 overtime loss to the 76ers.
Ball did it all for Charlotte in Sunday's overtime battle, leading all players in the contest in scoring and threes made while pacing the Hornets with a team-best assist total and a team-high-tying pair of steals in a well-rounded performance. Ball set a new season high in scoring and posted his sixth game with at least 30 points, including his second straight. Ball has now connected on at least five threes in six outings, including in three consecutive appearances.
