<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-charlotte-makes-unbelievable-shot-with-0-2-left-vs-pacers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets make unbelievable shot with 0.2 left vs. Pacers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hornets-news-Mark-Williams-calls-out-Charlottes-lapses-amid-offensive-struggles.jpg"></figure><h1>Hornets make unbelievable shot with 0.2 left vs. Pacers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T23:44:00-07:00">April 2nd, 11:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T23:44:00-07:00">April 2nd, 11:44pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/changes-hornets-must-make-end-playoff-drought-2025-26">Charlotte Hornets are in the middle of another lost season</a>; they have succumbed to the injury bug yet again, with their two best players, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, succumbing to season-ending injuries. But their play-by-play announcer on FanDuel Sports Network, Eric Collins, still finds reasons to be his usual enthusiastic self on the booth. On Wednesday night, despite the Hornets’ 119-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Collins went ballistic on the mic after Charlotte pulled off an unbelievable play late in the fourth quarter.</p><p>With 4:20 remaining in the final frame, the Hornets had 0.2 seconds left on the shot clock after an unbelievable defensive possession from the Pacers forced the ball out of bounds (Myles Turner swatted a rare three-pointer from Mark Williams). Squeezed in between a rock and a hard place, inbounder Seth Curry somehow found a way to <a href="https://x.com/BleacherReport/status/1907614813083378065" rel="noopener">throw a pinpoint lob</a> straight to the fingertips of Williams, who put his buttery touch on the ball to guide it gently into the basket despite the time constraints.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eric Collins LOST IT after Hornets were able to score with .2 on the shot clock 🤯🤣 <a href="https://t.co/p4XNBuTOY9">pic.twitter.com/p4XNBuTOY9</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1907614813083378065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>For a fanbase starved of reasons to be happy and excited about their team’s prospects, this is the kind of play that is sure to be a glimmer of joy. The Hornets are on track to finish with the third-worst record in the NBA, and they haven’t shown much progress over the past few seasons, so for them to pull off such an exciting play should at least provide a moment of happiness for the entire team, no matter how fleeting.</p><p>Williams, in particular, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/nba-rumors-how-luka-doncic-feels-about-lakers-failed-mark-williams-trade">thought he was headed to the Los Angeles Lakers</a> in a blockbuster trade deadline deal, but the deal fell through and he finds himself back with the Hornets as part of their young core that the team is hoping would blossom enough in the near future to bring them out of the league’s depths.</p><h2><b>Hornets look to finish the season with pride</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hornet-Mark-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>All the Hornets can do in the final six games of the season is to play spoiler to the playoff hopes of two teams. They will be facing the Sacramento Kings next, and they could very well be a banana peel that the Kings overlook, especially when Sacramento is coming off a loss to the Washington Wizards, a rare team with a worse record than that of theirs.</p><p>The Hornets also have a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that finds itself in the play-in picture at the moment after being a top-four team in the West for most of the season. That will be a must-win for the Grizzlies, but there may not be a scarier team to face near the end of the regular season than one with nothing to play for.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets make unbelievable shot with 0.2 left vs. Pacers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/utah-jazz/jazz-news-utah-rookie-breaks-john-stockton-bonkers-assist-record-hornets-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz rookie breaks John Stockton’s bonkers assist record in Hornets game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jazz-news-Utah-rookie-breaks-John-Stocktons-bonkers-assist-record-in-Hornets-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz rookie breaks John Stockton’s bonkers assist record in Hornets game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T19:58:09-07:00">March 31st, 7:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T19:58:09-07:00">March 31st, 7:58pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/nba-rookie-power-rankings-24-25-stephon-castle-firm-control">Isaiah Collier made franchise history</a> involving legend John Stockton in the team’s contest against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.</p><p>Stockton held the record for most assists as a rookie for four decades. In the 1984-85 season, he created 5.1 assists per game as he finished with 415 by the end.</p><p>Ahead of Monday’s game against the Hornets, Collier had 412 assists going into it. He needed three assists to tie Stockton and four to pass him.</p><p>He was successful in his pursuit. Collier dished out seven assists throughout the contest, surpassing Stockton for the <a href="https://x.com/NBA/status/1906889153222246592" rel="noopener">assists record as a rookie</a>.</p><h2><b>How Isaiah Collier, Jazz played against Hornets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mar-31-2025-Charlotte-North-Carolina-USA-Utah-Jazz-guard-Isaiah-Collier-13-passes-the-ball-off-balance-under-the-rim-against-the-Charlotte-Hornets-during-the-second-half-at-Spectr.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It was a solid feat for Isaiah Collier to achieve, considering that John Stockton is known as the all-time leader in assists. Taking a record he had as a rookie is big on its own.</p><p>Despite the accomplishment, Collier and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-lauri-markkanen-future-jazz">Jazz lost 110-106 to the Hornets</a>. Both teams went back and forth as they took the game down to the wire. However, Charlotte made more big plays down the stretch to defend homecourt with the win.</p><p>Six players scored in double-digits for the Jazz. Keyonte George led the way with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. He shot 7-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. Brice Sensabaugh came next with 19 points, Collier put up 17 points, while Kyle Filipowski provided 14 points and 13 rebounds.</p><p>Utah fell to 16-60 on the season, being at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. They are 5.5 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans and 16 games behind the San Antonio Spurs.</p><p>Following Monday’s loss to the Hornets, the Jazz will look to bounce back in their next matchup. They face the Houston Rockets on April 2 at 8 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz rookie breaks John Stockton’s bonkers assist record in Hornets game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/why-lamelo-ball-injury-shutdown-leads-questions-hornets-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why LaMelo Ball’s injury shutdown leads to more questions about Hornets’ future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Why-LaMelo-Balls-injury-shutdown-leads-to-more-questions-about-Hornets-future.jpg"></figure><h1>Why LaMelo Ball’s injury shutdown leads to more questions about Hornets’ future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T17:16:46-07:00">March 28th, 5:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T17:20:15-07:00">March 28th, 5:20pm</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-undergoes-multiple-season-ending-injury-procedures">LaMelo Ball will sit out the remainder of the season</a> to have two minor procedures on his ankle and wrist. With 10 games left in the season and the Charlotte Hornets not playing for a postseason berth, it’s likely the safest decision that the organization could have made. Ball has been labeled as an “injury-prone” player in his young career, so saving his body for the next season. That could also be with or without Ball on the roster. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-hornets-hold-no-interest-lamelo-ball-offseason-trade">A possible trade could still be in the cards</a> depending on how the offseason goes.</p><h2><b>The Hornets’ vision moving forward</b></h2><p>All the Hornets’ focus will be zeroed in on the 2025 NBA Draft. <a href="https://www.nbadraft.net/players/cooper-flagg/" rel="noopener">Prospects like Cooper Flagg</a>, Ace Bailey, and others are expected to be available with whatever pick falls in the Hornets’ lap. Shutting down Ball allows him to recover and fully embrace the tank. Sure, teams can never admit it themselves, but that seems like a clear plan at this point in time. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-brandon-miller-miss-remainder-of-season-wrist-surgery">Brandon Miller has been sidelined for a while</a>, too, so this course of action makes sense.</p><p>With the draft in mind, adding another talented prospect to Miller and Ball in the backcourt is promising. As stated in another article, the Hornets can use free agency, similar to how the Detroit Pistons did. Sign veteran players who can help be the glue for your young team. A team like Charlotte can use a couple of guys to show this team how to win.</p><h2><b>LaMelo Ball’s future</b></h2><p>It’s hard to see a future where LaMelo Ball is not in it. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/nba-rumors-hornets-hold-no-interest-lamelo-ball-offseason-trade">Hornets have said that they’re not interested</a> in moving on from their young star. He’s been one of the few bright spots for the Hornets organization. Although the team hasn’t made the playoffs in the last nine seasons, which is the longest streak in the NBA, Ball has captivated NBA fans everywhere. His play is exciting and keeps people on the edge of their seats. For highlight culture, he’s meant a lot to it.</p><p>Still, anyone can be moved in the Association. After witnessing the Luka Doncic trade, that puts it in perspective that any star, no matter where we rank them, can be moved at the drop of a dime. Ball was in year one of his $260 million contract extension and is locked in with Charlotte until the 2028-29 season. Either he’d have to request out or the team would have to feel differently about their decision to keep him around long term.</p><h2><b>Draft capital</b></h2><p>The Hornets’ next selection in the draft could be their most important one yet. They’re tied with two other teams to land the number one overall pick, but Charlotte should feel optimistic. Their young core is solid already. If they land the number one pick, a Flagg planted between Ball and Miller could help bring this core closer together.</p><p>The Hornets have a second round pick as well that could be useful as well. They scooped up KJ Simpson with their pick last year, and he had some solid moments. Continuing to stockpile talent around the elite young talent is how you build a hopeful competitive team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why LaMelo Ball’s injury shutdown leads to more questions about Hornets’ future

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-undergoes-multiple-season-ending-injury-procedures');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ LaMelo Ball undergoes multiple season-ending injury procedures');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Hornets-news-LaMelo-Ball-exits-Lakers-game-with-scary-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Hornets’ LaMelo Ball undergoes multiple season-ending injury procedures</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T14:00:42-07:00">March 28th, 2:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T14:30:14-07:00">March 28th, 2:30pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a Senior Editor who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, The Needle Drop, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After playing through a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-playing-charlotte-hawks-injury-report" rel="noopener">series of injuries</a> in 2024-25, the Charlotte Hornets have officially shut down All-Star guard LaMelo Ball for the rest of the season.</p><p>Taking to social media to announce the news, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed the news, noting that Ball would undergo two procedures to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/44443854/sources-lamelo-ball-undergo-season-ending-procedures" rel="noopener">address issues with his ankle and wrist</a>.</p><p>Originally drafted in the third round following one of the most publicized pre-NBA paths in recent memory, Ball has been an electrifying player in Charlotte, winning Rookie of the Year back in 2021 before becoming an All-Star the following season. Since that fateful run, however, things haven’t gone smoothly for the pride of Chino Hills, appearing in just <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/ballla01.html" rel="noopener">36 games in 2022-23</a>, 22 games in 2023-24, and 47 games in 2024-25.</p><p>While Ball has been incredibly successful when on the court, averaging a career-high 25.2 points per game this season to go with 7.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, Ball’s availability has been a real question mark for a Hornets organization that just can’t seem to find much consistency.</p><p>With Ball now set to miss the remainder of the season, the Hornets will look to add another high-profile player to their roster alongside their All-Pro guard moving forward, much like the addition of Tidjane Salaün last summer and Brandon Miller in 2023. And as for Ball? Well, he will return next season in year two of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-reveals-reasons-behind-signing-5-year-260-million-extension-with-charlotte">five-year, $260 million max contract</a> he signed back in 2023.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball undergoes multiple season-ending injury procedures

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-paolo-banchero-sends-warning-to-orlando-after-nearly-losing-to-lowly-hornets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Paolo Banchero sends warning to Magic after nearly losing to lowly Hornets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Magic-news-Paolo-Banchero-sends-warning-to-Orlando-after-nearly-losing-to-lowly-Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Paolo Banchero sends warning to Magic after nearly losing to lowly Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-26T09:12:41-07:00">March 26th, 9:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-26T09:12:41-07:00">March 26th, 9:12am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-jj-redick-reflects-on-magical-years-in-orlando"> Orlando Magic extended their win streak to three games</a> Tuesday night, holding off the Charlotte Hornets 111-104 at Spectrum Center. Paolo Banchero led the way with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal, as the Magic completed a four-game season sweep over Charlotte for the first time since the 2010-11 season.</p><p>Orlando built a lead as large as 13 in the first half and entered the break up by 10. However, the Hornets outscored the Magic 30-20 in the third quarter and briefly took a seven-point lead. The Magic recovered late in the period and held firm down the stretch to improve to 35-38 on the season.</p><p>Charlotte fell to 18-54 with the loss and is now on a three-game losing streak. The Hornets have dropped six of their last 10 games.</p><p>With the win, the Magic remained just half a game behind the Atlanta Hawks (35-37) for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons (41-32) continue to hold a six-game lead over Orlando for the No. 6 seed as the playoff race tightens.</p><h2><b>Magic survive Hornets scare as Paolo Banchero highlights playoff urgency</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Paolo-Banchero-5-drives-to-the-basket-as-he-is-defended-by-Charlotte-Hornets-center-Jusuf-Nurkic-11.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Following the close call, Banchero <a href="https://www.nba.com/magic/video" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> the need for focus and urgency with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season.</p><p>“I mean I just think it’s a mindset of us realizing that you know, we can’t take any games off, we can’t just give any games away, we have to try to win every game up to the end of the season just to put ourselves in the best possible position,” Banchero said. “So, I think everybody has that understood and I think tonight was just a good example of guys being locked in all 48 minutes.”</p><p>The Magic got a major lift from their bench, with second-year guard Anthony Black contributing 20 points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Caleb Houstan added 12 points off the bench, helping Orlando stabilize the game when the starters needed a breather.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean it’s just a huge boost, you know, we knew this was not gonna be an easy game despite their record and what they’ve done this season,” Banchero said. “I feel like every year I’ve been in the NBA, we come to Charlotte at some point in March and it’s always a tough game… last year, we came here around the same time when we lost so we knew that it wasn’t gonna be easy no matter who’s out there – and so, it was just a huge team effort to come here after a big win at home last night, and get this win on a back-to-back.”</p><h2><b>Banchero makes franchise history with 30-point streak, earns Jamahl Mosley’s praise</b></h2><p>Banchero has now scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-paolo-banchero-joins-shaq-tracy-mcgrady-orlando-history">joining Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady as the only players</a> in franchise history to accomplish that feat. Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 29.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and one steal per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range.</p><p>“I’m just feeling good. I’m feeling a lot better physically, I’m in shape,” Banchero said. “I can run a lot faster, a lot longer, not getting tired as quickly. So, it’s just helping the rest of my game. When I have wind and I’m not tired, I can do anything – just trying to play confident, make the right plays, and be aggressive when I need to and, yeah, I’m playing some good basketball right now. So, [I] just wanna keep it up.”</p><p>Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley <a href="https://www.nba.com/magic/video" rel="noopener">praised</a> Banchero’s composure and continued evolution as an all-around leader.</p><p>“Trying to find the right ways to lead this team to wins, whatever it takes in these moments… his ability to find guys, reading the defense, understanding when to attack the basket, when to find and spray, but again, it started for us being able to get stops, to get out and run, and that was a big point of him getting those easy baskets early on,” Mosley said.</p><h2><b>Magic brace for pivotal homestand vs. West playoff contenders</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Franz-Wagner-22-celebrates-after-making-a-three-point-shot-against-the-Los-Angeles-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/schedule/upcoming"> Magic now return to Orlando for a crucial three-game homestand</a> against three Western Conference playoff hopefuls. They will face the Dallas Mavericks (35-38) on Thursday, followed by the Sacramento Kings (35-37) on Saturday and the Los Angeles Clippers (40-31) on Monday.</p><p>“It could be really big, you know, we got three Western Conference teams coming in. Three teams that are all in the playoff race, so they’re gonna be looking to get a win, each one of those teams,” Banchero said. “So, [we] gotta be dialed in, focused, because those aren’t gonna be easy games, I mean those are good teams and I’m just excited for the challenge.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Paolo Banchero sends warning to Magic after nearly losing to lowly Hornets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-why-josh-green-happy-tidjane-salaun-nick-smith-jr-amid-tough-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Josh Green is ‘happy’ for Tidjane Salaun, Nick Smith Jr. amid tough Hornets season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hornets-news-Why-Josh-Green-is-super-happy-for-Tidjane-Salaun-Nick-Smith-Jr.-amid-tough-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Josh Green is ‘happy’ for Tidjane Salaun, Nick Smith Jr. amid tough Hornets season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-25T22:52:11-07:00">March 25th, 10:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-25T22:52:11-07:00">March 25th, 10:52pm</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/magic-vs-hornets-prediction-odds-pick-spread-3-25-2025">Charlotte Hornets fell to the Orlando Magic 111-104</a> on Tuesday. It was their third straight loss, but some positives were taken out of this game by head coach Charles Lee and players alike.</p><p>Losses have still allowed for some of the other young talents to have a chance to grow and flourish in some new roles. Injuries play a part, but it’s been a next-man-up mentality for this team on a nightly basis.</p><h2><b>Josh Green on Nick Smith Jr., Tidjane Salaun</b></h2><p>Josh Green, who <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705611" rel="noopener">finished with 13 points</a> in 21 minutes, gave his props to rookie Tidjane Salaun and Nick Smith Jr. in their extended minutes.</p><p>“You talk about those young guys and they are strides further than me as a rookie,” Green said. “As a rookie, I couldn’t even tell you – I don’t know if I even played as a rookie. I’m super happy for them. They’ve been given an opportunity, and it’s hard. Tidjane is 19 – he just came from high school…He works super hard… Same thing goes with Nick Smith. They’re all competitors, and I’ll always go to battle with those guys. The fact that they’re that young and that willing to work that hard is very impressive. I’m just super excited to continue to see their growth.”</p><p>Salaun finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Smith finished with 13 points. Solid strides for young players trying to find their way in the NBA.</p><h2><b>Hornets HC Charles Lee gives his flowers to Nick Smith Jr.</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hornets-guard-Nick-Smith-Jr.-defended-by-Heat-forward-Duncan-Robinson.jpg"><figcaption>Rhona Wise-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Coach Lee gave his two cents about his young guard’s development throughout his second season in the NBA with the Hornets.</p><p>“So many areas of growth, I’ve been so happy with Nick. Defensively,” Lee said. “I’ve noticed a little bit more attention to detail. I think that he’s always moving and has great energy and effort, but I just feel like the attention to detail and the purpose behind his movement now has been a little more deliberate or intentional…Just a ton of growth from him, and I think all these reps are very valuable for him.”</p><p>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/changes-hornets-must-make-end-playoff-drought-2025-26">Hornets already eliminated from playoff contention</a>, it’s important to take away growth points for the rest of the season.</p><p>Along with the other young players, LaMelo Ball poured in 25 points and nine assists. After only playing in 22 games last season, he’s doubled that. Playing in 46 games so far, its a step in the right direction. Even with just 10 games left, the Hornets can still be worth watching, given the growth some of their youngsters are showing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Josh Green is ‘happy’ for Tidjane Salaun, Nick Smith Jr. amid tough Hornets season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-why-lamelo-ball-earned-kyrie-irving-healthy-admiration');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Hornets’ LaMelo Ball has earned Kyrie Irving’s ‘healthy admiration’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Why-LaMelo-Ball-has-earned-Kyrie-Irvings-healthy-admiration.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Hornets’ LaMelo Ball has earned Kyrie Irving’s ‘healthy admiration’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-24T11:17:22-07:00">March 24th, 11:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-24T11:17:22-07:00">March 24th, 11:17am</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LaMelo Ball is having a career year, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by his peers. Kyrie Irving gave him his flowers after being a spectator from afar over the last few years. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-how-trae-young-made-history-free-throw-line-in-win-hornets">Charlotte Hornets have not been winning games</a> and have been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/changes-hornets-must-make-end-playoff-drought-2025-26">officially eliminated from postseason contention</a>, but Ball’s play has been a bright spot for his young team. He’s averaging a career-high in points per game with 25.2.</p><h2><b>Kyrie Irving gives LaMelo Ball his flowers</b></h2><p>On his live stream, Kyrie Irving gave Ball <a href="https://x.com/SnapshotKyle/status/1903882269267526084" rel="noopener">his props for handling the spotlight</a> for practically all his life.</p><p>“We were signed to the same agency, Roc Nation, but I ended up getting a chance to see him from afar,” Irving said. “I also have a healthy admiration for somebody who has been in the public eye for that long and is still ultra-successful. One of the best things is when a kid actually achieves the unachievable while still being on camera all the time. I don’t know what that’d be like to be on camera all the time like he was.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kyrie Irving talking about his “healthy admiration” for LaMelo Ball’s ability to be under the public eye for so long &amp; still be “ultra successful” 🤞🏾 <a href="https://t.co/KRnYdEPTwd">pic.twitter.com/KRnYdEPTwd</a></p><p>— Kyle Ingram (@SnapshotKyle) <a href="https://twitter.com/SnapshotKyle/status/1903882269267526084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Ball appeared on “Ball in the Family” when he was just 14 years old. Appearing in the show with his brothers, Lonzo and Liangelo Ball and of course his outspoken father, Lavar. The show debuted back in 2017. Fast forward to today in 2025, LaMelo Ball is now 23 years old and wrapping his fifth season.</p><h2><b>Irving knows Ball studied his game</b></h2><p>Ball’s creativity has been on full display since he entered the NBA. Irving believes he might’ve played a part in his development in that department.</p><p>“This young kid, if there was anybody watching a lot of my film and studying, that’s definitely one of them,” Irving said.</p><p>Kyrie Irving has a lot of memorable moments with the ball in his hands. He’s already been crowned by fans as the most skilled player in the history of the league for his creativity around the rim and his ability to create space for his shot. Ball has a unique way of creating windows to score and getting himself open looks. From the step-backs or side-step dribbles to cut dribbles to get to that right-handed floater, Ball is a special offensive talent in his own right.</p><h2><b>LaMelo Ball’s special talent is still worth believing in for Hornets</b></h2><p>Despite the rough seasons, Ball has been one of the only bright spots for the Hornets for years. Thankfully he has a few running mates that could help make this team competitive if they’re healthy. Brandon Miller and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-non-cooper-flagg-2025-nba-draft-targets-watch-ncaa-tournament">whatever potential lottery pick they add in the 2025 NBA Draft</a> can help the Hornets.</p><p>It’s nice to see an All-Star talent acknowledge a young one’s game. As Kyrie Irving continues to rehab from a torn ACL, he had time to share his thoughts about maybe one of the more misunderstood stars in LaMelo Ball.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Hornets’ LaMelo Ball has earned Kyrie Irving’s ‘healthy admiration’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/changes-hornets-must-make-end-playoff-drought-2025-26');   ga('set', 'title', '3 big changes Hornets must make to end playoff drought in 2025-26');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-big-changes-Hornets-must-make-to-end-playoff-drought-in-2025-26.jpg"></figure><h1>3 big changes Hornets must make to end playoff drought in 2025-26</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-24T09:59:37-07:00">March 24th, 9:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-24T10:00:35-07:00">March 24th, 10:00am</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets were officially eliminated from playoff contention in 2025 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-how-andrew-wiggins-makes-miami-different-after-42-point-performance">after losing to the Miami Heat on Sunday night</a>, 122-105. That marks the ninth straight year that they will miss postseason play, the longest drought in the NBA. A few things have to change for this team as they start making their offseason plans early. Most of which should revolve around their franchise cornerstones and the roster construction. Best-case scenarios play out throughout the summer time and perhaps a return to the playoffs in 2026 is possible.</p><h2><b>1. Drafting Cooper Flagg (or a great young player)</b></h2><p>With the assumption that the Hornets end up with the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg is the likely selection. As he continues to reassure scouts and general managers in the March Madness tournament, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/how-cooper-flagg-played-in-dukes-ncaa-tournament-blowout-over-baylor">Flagg will be the consensus first player off the board</a>. Inserting him into the young core alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller would complete this team.</p><p>Having Flagg gives Charlotte the versatility to play at the small or power forward in today’s NBA. At Duke, we’ve seen the playmaking potential on display and the ability to score from all three levels. Sandwiching that with Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges could make for an athletic swingmen trio. Getting out in transition should be fun if you’re LaMelo Ball.</p><h2><b>2. Hornets need to add impact veteran players</b></h2><p>A year made a big difference for the Detroit Pistons. They won 14 games in the 2023-24 season, which was the worst record in the NBA. Fast forward to 2025 and the Pistons are on the verge of making the postseason for the first time since 2019. In order to take that leap, they placed key veteran places to help mold and mentor their young core. Cade Cunningham and the rest of the young core are playing great basketball after adding Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, and Malik Beasley.</p><p>The Hornets can follow that same blueprint. Ball and Miller are currently viewed as the two most valuable assets. Getting a Khris Middleton, Andre Drummond, or players of that ilk who could be available in free agency in 2025. Guys that can play a few minutes, contribute, and teach guys some different ins and outs of the NBA they might not know about.</p><h2><b>3. Health, health, and more health</b></h2><p>Ultimately, the Hornets’ seasons have crumbled due to injuries for the last few years. Dating back to when Gordon Hayward was active on the roster back in 2019-20, something catastrophic happened to key players. Ball has <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/ballla01.html" rel="noopener">only played over 70 games once</a> and Brandon Miller only played 27 games in the 2024-25 season before being ruled out for the season with a wrist injury. They just can’t catch a break.</p><p>Being able to stay healthy has been a major problem for this team for too long. They have yet to really scratch the surface of what they could be. Management and the coaching staff need to figure out a play plan for guys on court, and implore them to consider different diets, and anything they could think of to keep guys healthy for the grind of an NBA season.</p><p>An honorable mention for Charlotte is to explore the trade market with Mark Williams if they want to. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/inside-failed-lakers-hornets-trade-mark-williams">They already tried to move Williams before the trade deadline</a>. It’s not farfetched to think the Hornets could revisit those conversations over the summer to gauge the interest from the rest of the league on the third-year center.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 big changes Hornets must make to end playoff drought in 2025-26

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/ranking-the-10-biggest-stains-on-michael-jordans-legacy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking the 10 biggest stains on Michael Jordan’s legacy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ranking-the-10-biggest-stains-in-Michael-Jordans-legacy.jpg"></figure><h1>Ranking the 10 biggest stains on Michael Jordan’s legacy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-20T10:20:20-07:00">March 20th, 10:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T10:51:32-07:00">March 21st, 10:51am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/spencersee10" rel="facebook">Spencer See</a>Spencer See is a part-time writer at ClutchPoints focusing on the NBA, evergreen content and celebrity lifestyle. He is also a lifelong fan of LeBron James. In his free time, he either goes fishing or watches basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Michael Jordan is seen by many as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/updating-ranking-the-50-greatest-players-nba">greatest NBA player of all time</a>. But while his talent and accomplishments are nearly untouchable, there’s no doubt that it wasn’t a perfect legacy for His Airness. Here are the 10 biggest stains on Michael Jordans’ legacy, ranked.</p><p>Check out the gallery.</p><h2><b>1. Michael Jordan’s gambling addiction</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-as-a-spectator.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>One of the biggest concerns that marred Jordan’s career was his gambling addiction. In fact, his habits were even <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/michael-jordan-and-gambling-a-brief-history-of-basketballs-most-famous-bettor/">well-documented in the public eye</a>. There were plenty of stories and conspiracy theories that surrounded His Airness, especially when he announced his first retirement in 1993 in relation to his father’s death.</p><p>James Jordan, the father of Michael, was found dead as it was initially suspected to have a<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/james-jordan-death.html"> connection with his son’s gambling habits</a>. While his gambling never exactly spilled over his performances on the court, his addiction to it doesn’t make him the best role model.</p><h2><b>2. Michael Jordan’s response to Nike’s unfair labor practices</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-and-Charles-Barkley-film-a-Nike-commercial.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>Jordan and Nike carved out one of the biggest success stories in relation to sports and business. But while the partnership led to some of the most iconic sneakers, it wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect relationship. In fact in 1996, Nike was ordered to improve its working conditions, as human rights and labor advocates attacked the sports sneaker and apparel giant.</p><p>Wanting to get a response from their top endorser, at the middle of the 1996 NBA Finals, Jordan made a <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/09/10/nike-jordan-endure-share-of-controversy/">controversial response</a> that only revealed his intention of keeping his impact within the sport and not beyond the realm of social justice.</p><h2><b>3. Michael Jordan’s three first-round playoff exits</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-delegates-the-offense.jpg"><figcaption>Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before Jordan started winning championships, he ultimately struggled in the playoffs. In fact, his first three postseason appearances resulted in three-consecutive first-round exits. As a result, Jordan’s playoff record at that point was 1-9. Afterwards, he would suffer three more eliminations before finally kicking off his first three-peat with the Bulls.</p><h2><b>4. Michael Jordan was a poor three-point shooter</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-takes-a-shot.jpg"><figcaption>MPS-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although Jordan dazzled basketball fans around the world with his crazy acrobatics in the air, there’s a huge knock against his game, which was his three-point shooting. Shooting is one of the major aspects in basketball, and given that this is the weakest arsenal in the GOAT’s play style certainly triggers some doubters. Throughout his career, Jordan only shot 32.7% from downtown. He even shot as low as 13.2% from beyond the arc during the 1987-88 season.</p><h2><b>5. Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics were Michael Jordan’s kryptonite</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-dribbles-against-the-Celtics-defense.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Another huge knock in Jordan’s legacy was his inability to defeat Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics in the playoffs. At the 1986 NBA Playoffs in the first round, Jordan’s Bulls were swept by Bird’s Celtics. The series saw Jordan’s NBA playoff record of 63 points go for naught. A season later, the Celtics reasserted their mastery over the Bulls by sweeping them again in three games.</p><h2><b>6. Questioned validity of Michael Jordan’s DPOY Award win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-defends-the-ball-handler.jpg"><figcaption>Photo By Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award initially improved Jordan’s status as the GOAT. But while His Airness was regarded as a defensive menace during the 1987-88 season, recent reports have <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/a-closer-look-at-michael-jordans-1988-dpoy-award-raises-questions-about-its-validity-has-lebron-james-been-chasing-a-ghost-140452567.html">claimed that his production on the defensive end raised some doubts</a>.</p><p>In fact, the latest research suggested that among the award winners, Jordan registered the biggest differential in home vs. away statistics. Of course, doubts continued to be fueled when former NBA stat keeper Alex Rucker confessed to inflating statistics.</p><h2><b>7. Michael Jordan’s ownership stint with the Charlotte Hornets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-yells-at-an-official.jpg"><figcaption>Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Jordan was one of the best players in the sport, being a basketball executive shows otherwise. His Airness bought the franchise back in 2010. As the owner of the Charlotte Hornets franchise, formerly called the Charlotte Bobcats, the team only made the playoffs twice, all of which resulted in first-round exits. During that stretch, Charlotte also only posted a 423-600 overall record under Jordan’s term.</p><h2><b>8. Michael Jordan drafting Kwame Brown with the first-overall pick</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Kwame-Brown-speaks-to-a-referee.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before becoming the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Jordan already had his feet wet as an executive for the Washington Wizards before coming out of retirement to play for the team. In his executive tenure, Jordan made a questionable move during the 2001 NBA Draft by selecting Kwame Brown with the first-overall pick. Brown became one of the biggest busts in NBA history.</p><h2><b>9. Michael Jordan had most misses in a playoff game</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-shoots-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jordan has set a lot of records during his playing days. However, not all of them actually help his legacy. In fact, he set one of the most embarrassing records at the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. In Game 4, Jordan scored 29 points but only shot 9-of-35 from the field overall. His 26 misses continues to be the most by any player to this day. The record would later on be <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/15234707/kevin-durant-oklahoma-city-thunder-ties-michael-jordan-most-playoff-misses-1997https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/15234707/kevin-durant-oklahoma-city-thunder-ties-michael-jordan-most-playoff-misses-1997">matched by Kevin Durant</a> in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.</p><h2><b>10. Michael Jordan ending his playing career with the Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Jordan-navigates-the-defense.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although it’s not totally a knock on his career, however, basketball fans probably would have preferred Jordan to end his career with the Chicago Bulls. It would’ve been a fitting end for the GOAT. But to everyone’s surprise, Jordan chose to come out of retirement to play for a bottom-feeding Washington Wizards squad. Jordan never made the postseason as a Wizard. Moreover, it also fueled his critics for failing to prove that he could win a chip without the help of Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranking the 10 biggest stains on Michael Jordan’s legacy

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-non-cooper-flagg-2025-nba-draft-targets-watch-ncaa-tournament');   ga('set', 'title', '3 Hornets non-Cooper Flagg 2025 NBA Draft targets to watch in NCAA Tournament');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-Hornets-non-Cooper-Flagg-2025-NBA-Draft-targets-to-watch-in-NCAA-Tournament.jpg"></figure><h1>3 Hornets non-Cooper Flagg 2025 NBA Draft targets to watch in NCAA Tournament</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-19T10:46:40-07:00">March 19th, 10:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-19T10:46:40-07:00">March 19th, 10:46am</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets are tied with the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards for the best odds to land the number-one pick for the 2025 NBA Draft. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/duke-basketball-news-cooper-flagg-nba-draft-no-1-overall-pick">consensus first overall pick is set to be Cooper Flagg</a>, and rightfully so. Averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, he could do everything on the floor that you would require out of the number one pick. However, other <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/10-best-nba-draft-prospects-to-watch-ncaa-tournament">elite prospects will be participating in March Madness</a> and the Hornets should watch in case they don’t have the number one pick.</p><h2><b>Target one: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor</b></h2><p>VJ Edgecombe’s play late in the season helped propel Baylor to the ninth seed in the tournament. He’s likely the best athlete in the draft, making explosive plays on both sides of the ball. He can finish well around the rim and over defenders as a cutter or slasher without the ball. To go along with a solid catch-and-shoot game that would compliment any team that happens to draft him.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">VJ Edgecombe from the RAFTERS 🤯<a href="https://t.co/PgmepTYr0h">pic.twitter.com/PgmepTYr0h</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1856526793387184223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, he would thrive in transition. The Hornets already make it a part of their game plan to play faster and create easier opportunities on the open floor. Edgecombe would instantly fit in at that two-guard spot, sliding Miller to the three and Miles Bridges or Grant Williams manning that four spot. If he improves his handle, Edgecombe could be even deadlier and live up to <a href="https://x.com/report_court/status/1901727078472450450" rel="noopener">his freakish upside</a>.</p><h2><b>Target two: Khaman Maluach, Duke</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Cooper-Flagg.jpg"><figcaption>© Zachary Taft-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>One of the more raw prospects, Khaman Maluach has a chance to end up a Hornet. Rumor has it that Charlotte could look to revisit the idea of trading their former Duke big man in Mark Williams. His injury history has been a little concerning and Charlotte could flip Williams for either more draft compensation or a player to add to the young core. Drafting Maluach would fill the hole at center right away.</p><p>Defensively, he could protect the paint at a high level already. At 7’2 with a 7’6 wingspan, he’s already a rim runner in pick-and-roll sets. His low post-game needs work, but the Hornets would have a shot to work with another raw prospect at center. With a clean bill of health as it stands. The tournament could help his stock rise as well if Duke makes a deep run.</p><h2><b>Target three: Tre Johnson, Texas</b></h2><p>Tre Johnson rounds out the list. If the goal is to draft the best talent out of the tournament, Johnson fits the bill. His ability to create for himself as well as others helped Texas land a spot in the First Four round of the tournament. Pairing that with the rest of the young core in Charlotte adds in another guy who can take pressure off of LaMelo Ball.</p><p>Johnson is versatile enough to play on or off the ball. Alongside Miller and Ball, there should be no problem implementing this perimeter talent if the Hornets can’t land Edgecombe. This is the next best thing.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tre Johnson is like the opposite of Jase Richardson, his lack of coordination in tight spaces + an average handle may prevent him from fully accessing his court vision <a href="https://t.co/nUcP4oKhl6">pic.twitter.com/nUcP4oKhl6</a></p><p>— Sheed on the Hawks (@SheedinATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/SheedinATL/status/1900069062291464265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>There is some interesting talent in the 2025 NBA Draft and March Madness could change this list depending on who makes the deepest run. There are a few seven-footers that could make sense, along with other shooters and potential two-way players. Guys like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-dylan-harper-ace-bailey-draft-status-rutgers-ugly-season">Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey</a> could be taken ahead of all these guys.</p><p>The Hornets have plenty of options to choose from, but it’s pivotal they get it right. Last year’s lottery pick, Tidjane Salaun, didn’t exactly have the strongest rookie campaign. If the Hornets don’t get that number overall pick, their job is to select the right guy who has high stakes. Only time will tell if they’re able to get that pick right.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 Hornets non-Cooper Flagg 2025 NBA Draft targets to watch in NCAA Tournament

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-playing-charlotte-hawks-injury-report');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight? Hornets vs. Hawks injury report');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Is-LaMelo-Ball-playing-tonight-Hornets-vs.-Hawks-injury-report.jpg"></figure><h1>Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight? Hornets vs. Hawks injury report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-18T09:30:20-07:00">March 18th, 9:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-18T09:30:20-07:00">March 18th, 9:30am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. Is LaMelo Ball going to play, however?</p><p>Ball is in the middle of a strong season. He has played well for the most part. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/is-lamelo-ball-playing-tonight-cavs-hornets-injury-report">Ball has dealt with injury concerns</a> during the 2024-25 campaign. At the moment, the Hornets guard is dealing with right wrist soreness.</p><p>Here is everything we know about LaMelo Ball’s injury status for tonight’s game vs. the Hawks.</p><p><b><i>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (</i></b><a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored"><b><i>Get Access | Save $30</i></b></a><i>)</i><b><i>*</i></b></p><h2><b>LaMelo Ball’s injury status vs. Hawks</b></h2><p>According to the NBA injury report, Ball is <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2025-03-18_11AM.pdf" rel="noopener">listed as probable</a> due to his aforementioned wrist concern.</p><p>The 23-year-old is currently averaging 25.4 points, 7.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per outing. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-how-lamelo-ball-made-history-spurs">Ball has continued to establish himself as a star</a> at the NBA level.</p><p>The Hornets are unquestionably a better team when Ball is on the floor. When it comes to the question of is LaMelo Ball playing tonight vs. the Hawks, the answer is maybe.</p><h2><b>Hornets’ injury report</b></h2><p>The Hornets are dealing with a plethora of injuries heading into Tuesday’s game. In fact, Charlotte has 10 players listed on the injury report.</p><ul><li>LaMelo Ball (right wrist soreness): Probable</li><li>Marcus Garrett (low back soreness): Probable</li><li>Miles Bridges (rest): Out</li><li>Damion Baugh (G League two-way): Out</li><li>Tre Mann (disc herniation): Out</li><li>Brandon Miller (right wrist ligament repair): Out</li><li>Josh Okogie (left hamstring strain): Out</li><li>Tidjane Salaun (G League on assignment): Out</li><li>KJ Simpson (G League two-way): Out</li><li>Grant Williams (right ACL repair): Out</li></ul><h2><b>Hawks’ injury report</b></h2><p>The Hawks also have a number of injuries to monitor. Atlanta has nine players listed on Tuesday’s injury report.</p><ul><li>Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis): Probable</li><li>Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery): Out</li><li>Clint Capela (family reasons): Out</li><li>Jalen Johnson (left shoulder surgery): Out</li><li>Caris LeVert (right knee soreness): Out</li><li>Larry Nance Jr. (right medial femoral condyle fracture): Out</li><li>Daeqwon Plowden (G League two-way): Out</li><li>Jacob Toppin (G League two-way): Out</li><li>Keaton Wallace (G League two-way): Out</li></ul><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight? Hornets vs. Hawks injury report

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/is-trae-young-playing-tonight-hawks-vs-hornets-injury-report');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is Trae Young playing tonight? Hawks vs. Hornets injury report');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Is-Trae-Young-playing-tonight-Hawks-vs.-Hornets-injury-report.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Is Trae Young playing tonight? Hawks vs. Hornets injury report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-18T09:24:57-07:00">March 18th, 9:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-18T15:49:17-07:00">March 18th, 3:49pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/schedule/upcoming">Atlanta Hawks (32-36) are set to conclude their two-game road trip</a> with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets (17-50) on Tuesday night. Ahead of their 7:00 p.m. ET tipoff, the Hawks have <a href="https://official.nba.com/nba-injury-report-2024-25-season/" rel="noopener">listed</a> star guard Trae Young as probable with right Achilles tendinitis on their extensive injury report.</p><p>Young last played in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/schedule/completed">Atlanta’s 122-114 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday</a>, where he recorded a team-high 28 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and two steals. He shot 9-for-18 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.</p><p>On the season, the 26-year-old is averaging 24 points, a career-high and league-leading 11.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40.3% from the field in 63 contests. Over his last 15 games, Young has increased his production, averaging 26.2 points, 11.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game.</p><p><i><b>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Hawks navigate injuries with Trae Young listed, Caris LeVert ruled out</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Trae-Young-11-and-guard-Caris-LeVert-3-discuss-strategy.jpg"><figcaption>© Jim Rassol-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In addition to Young’s probable status, the Hawks have ruled out Caris LeVert due to right knee soreness. LeVert joins a long list of absences, including Clint Capela (family reasons), Larry Nance Jr. (right medial femoral condyle fracture), Jalen Johnson (left shoulder surgery), and Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery).</p><p>Capela has missed the past three games. Nance has been sidelined for 15-straight contests, and Johnson and Bufkin have been out for 25 and 44 games, respectively.</p><p>LeVert last played in Atlanta’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. Since the Hawks acquired him at the trade deadline, the 30-year-old has averaged 16.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 50.9% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range in 14 games.</p><h2><b>Hornets manage injuries with LaMelo Ball listed, Miles Bridges ruled out</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Miles-Bridges-0-celebrates-with-guard-LaMelo-Ball-1-after-scoring-a-basket.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hornets also have an extensive injury report with star guard LaMelo Ball listed as probable due to right wrist soreness.</p><p>Ball played in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-reacts-to-home-debut-vs-hornets-34-days-after-signing">Charlotte’s 123-88 loss to the Clippers on Sunday</a>, finishing with 16 points, five assists, and two rebounds while struggling with his shot, going 5-for-18 from the field.</p><p>On the season, the 23-year-old is averaging a career-high 25.4 points, 7.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.2% from the field in 44 appearances.</p><p>Charlotte also listed Marcus Garrett as probable with low-back soreness, while the Hornets ruled out Miles Bridges for rest. Bridges last played in Sunday’s loss to the Clippers, posting seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block while shooting 3-for-10 from the field.</p><p>Bridges joins several Hornets players already sidelined, including Tre Mann (disc herniation), Brandon Miller (right wrist ligament repair), Josh Okogie (left hamstring strain), and Grant Williams (right ACL repair).</p><p>Both teams enter Tuesday’s contest dealing with multiple absences with the Hawks looking to bounce back after dropping their last game and the Hornets aiming to regain momentum following their loss to the Clippers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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