On Wednesday, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball made his triumphant on-court return by leading his team to a 110-105 victory against the Houston Rockets. The former NBA Rookie of the Year winner flirted with a triple-double after notching 34 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds while making four three-point shots and all of his 10 free throw attempts.
According to StatMuse, Ball is the first player in Charlotte Hornets history to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a season opener. The 23-year-old floor general also became the 11th player in NBA history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists in the opening game, per the team’s official PR account.
Besides LaMelo Ball, Charlotte also had meaningful contributions from Tre Mann and Miles Bridges. Mann came off the bench and dropped 24 points and six rebounds and knocked down four three-pointers, while Bridges had 10 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes.
The Charlotte Hornets trailed by as many as 18 points before they rallied for the win, outscoring the Houston Rockets 31-22 in the final period. They also shot better from the field at 44.7 percent and from beyond the arc at 38.5 percent.
Charlotte Hornets are counting on LaMelo Ball
The Charlotte Hornets plan to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, so they’ll need LaMelo Ball to have a healthy and productive campaign this year.
“He’s like the engine for us,” Charles Lee said about LaMelo Ball via Associated Press. “If we have a healthy LaMelo Ball, we’re going to do a lot of really good things because I know that he’s going to continue to grow and he helps everyone around him continue to be better, too.”
The former No. 3 pick only played 22 regular season games last season due to a chronic ankle injury, so much so that Charlotte head coach Charles Lee wanted LaMelo Ball to wear ankle braces to prevent further damage.
