The Charlotte Hornets looked dead in the water in the opening half against the Washington Wizards, trailing by 11 points entering intermission. However, they put up a record 88 points in the second half, surpassing their previous mark by a single point. Hopefully, though, the Hornets' 139-113 win won't be marred by the news that LaMelo Ball sustained a thigh injury.
During the first half, Ball drove past CJ McCollum, whose knee collided with his leg. The star could be seen holding his right thigh following the play, although he did not seem to be bothered by any pain afterward. Perhaps it was just a case of a dead leg and nothing more, although there's also a chance it might be a bruise.
It would be unfortunate if Ball had to miss time because of it, since there is still no clear timeline for Brandon Miller's return from his shoulder injury. Losing both cornerstones will make it tough for Charlotte to finish its three-game road trip with another win. It will visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
LaMelo Ball's statement game shows how Hornets are deadly with him healthy
The good news is that Ball did not appear to be limping at any point in the Hornets' rousing win against Washington. They needed every bit of his brilliance as they clawed their way back into the contest in the third quarter. It was his 3-pointer that gave his team an 85-82 margin with 2:58 left in the period, and they broke the game after that point.
Ball finished with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists, his first triple-double in nearly two years, while also delivering sound defense for the second consecutive match. He added three steals after registering the same number in Charlotte's loss the previous night.
The star point guard didn't do it all by himself, which he was forced to do for most of the 2024-25 campaign when he was on the floor, on Sunday. Three of his fellow starters, Miles Bridges (22), Collin Sexton (20), and Kon Knueppel (20), also provided some scoring punch, while Moussa Diabate and Sion James supplied plenty of energy off the bench.
It is certainly refreshing to see the Hornets put on a scoring explosion, especially after their offense last season was difficult to watch. The offensive reinforcement has also allowed Ball to pick his spots and silence the doubters who do not believe he can be a winning player.
Of course, the regular season has just begun, so it's too early to say that Charlotte can sustain its production in the coming months. Still, the signs that it can be a consistently potent offensive unit are hard to miss, more so when Ball is playing inspired basketball and the supporting cast is firing on all cylinders.
Hopefully, he can remain healthy, as he is clearly the engine behind the Hornets' major offensive leap.