LaMelo Ball knocks off rust with impressive debut in loss to Knicks

The Charlotte Hornets fell to the New York Knicks 111-109 in the preseason opener on Sunday evening,

Once both teams yanked their core players and went to the deep end of the bench, things got pretty intense with a game that went down to the wire. Duane Washington Jr. was fouled down two on a three-point attempt with 1.7 seconds on the clock. He missed the two attempts, so he had to miss the third on purpose to give the Hornets a chance, but the ball was rebounded by New York.

January 26th was the last time LaMelo Ball played in a game and although he’s had plenty of time to get back into a rhythm, going out there and producing in a game-like setting was a pleasant sight for Hornets fans. There doesn’t appear to be any rust and he even made a few plays on the defensive end of the court. Still, a long way to go, but it’s a small step in the right direction. He finished the night with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting with seven assists and four rebounds.

It was a fast-paced game and with it being the first time out there together against an actual opponent, the turnovers aren’t something you should be highly concerned about. That said, it was really the only area of the game that they were sloppy in. LaMelo Ball threw it away four times while Tre Mann had the second-most with three.

The Hornets will be back in action on Tuesday night as they welcome in the Miami Heat. Tip is set for 7 p.m. EST.

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