Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball has been ruled out for tonight’s In-Season Tournament game versus the New York Knicks.
LaMelo Ball (right ankle) has been ruled OUT today’s In-Season Tournament matchup vs. the Knicks, Hornets have announced. pic.twitter.com/Ctf4TXFSZX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 28, 2023
Ball left their loss against the Orlando Magic after taking a fall on Paolo Banchero and was helped off the court. He did not return to the game. This new ankle injury was to the same ankle that Ball had surgery on last season. The injury is not as severe as once thought. He was deemed doubtful to play before ultimately being ruled out. It is still not known how long Ball will remain out. The Hornets will likley proceed on the side of caution with their franchise player given his history with ankle injuries.
After a slow start to the season, Ball has turned it up for the past few weeks prior to the injury. Ball is leading the team in scoring averaging 24.7 points per game and leads in assists averaging 8.2 per game. Ball has also shown his improvements on the defensive end as he leads the team in steals per game with 1.4. This is a huge loss for a Hornets team that is 5-10 on the season.
The Charlotte Hornets are +1000 to make the NBA Playoffs according to North Carolina sportsbooks.
The Hornets are going to expect rookie Brandon Miller step up in a huge way in Ball’s absence. Veteran guard Terry Rozier will be the leader of the offense in the meantime. The Hornets did get Miles Bridges back from suspension, so maybe not all hope is lost with Ball sidelined. Ball will at least miss tonight’s game and will be day-to-day moving forward until we know more about his ankle injury.
The Hornets are 11.5 point underdogs against the New York Knicks. Tip-off begins at 7:30 pm EST.
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