<!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-wont-play-vs-cavaliers');   ga('set', 'title', 'LaMelo Ball won’t play vs. Cavaliers');   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/2025/12/LaMelo-Ball-defending-.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>LaMelo Ball won’t play vs. Cavaliers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-13T15:18:59-08:00">December 13th, 3:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-13T15:18:59-08:00">December 13th, 3:18pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna is an Associate Editor covering the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets updated their injury report Saturday afternoon. LaMelo Ball has been dealing with a left wrist sprain <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-brandon-miller-playing-raptors-injury-report">since a week for Charlotte</a>. Is he off that NBA injury list before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday?</p><p>Ball won’t play <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2025-12-13_05PM.pdf" rel="noopener">per the league’s updated listings</a>. Yet the report revealed multiple ailments — a left ankle one and a bone bruise.</p><p>The veteran is dealing with multiple injury concerns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/lamelo-ball-playing-tonight-hornets-bucks-nba-cup-injury-report">dating back to Nov. 14 with Charlotte</a>. He’s played only 16 games this season with two bad ankles.</p><p>This is now the third straight game Ball will miss. And he’s also dealing with questions about his Charlotte future.</p><h2>LaMelo Ball name linked to Hornets trade rumors</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/LaMelo-Ball-dribbling.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Charlotte is one team many fans and analysts believe will tweak the roster — by exploring the trade market.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/lamelo-ball-playing-tonight-hornets-bucks-nba-cup-injury-report">Ball is linked with fellow NBA All-Stars Trae Young and Ja Morant</a> as potential moves. Except the Hornet small forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/lamelo-ball-playing-tonight-hornets-bucks-nba-cup-injury-report">ripped a report indicating he wants to sever ties with the Hornets</a>.</p><p>“The source didn’t come from me. That’s false info,” Ball <a href="https://x.com/JeremyGrandiso1/status/1991939377950540285?s=20" rel="noopener">told reporters on Nov. 21</a>. “I love being here.”</p><p>Still, many analysts believe the Sacramento Kings are one potential destination for the California native. Names like DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook have many believing they need a change of scenery.</p><p>The Brooklyn Nets are another looking due for a roster makeover — with lead scorer Michael Porter Jr. at the forefront.</p><p>Charlotte is 7-18 overall following its 129-126 loss to the Chicago Bulls and are on a two-game slide.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaMelo Ball won’t play vs. Cavaliers

<!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/sacramento-kings/nba-rumors-stop-all-your-lamelo-ball-to-kings-trade-jokes');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Stop all your LaMelo Ball-to-Kings trade jokes');   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/2025/10/Lamelo-Ball_42e994.jpg"><figcaption>Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Stop all your LaMelo Ball-to-Kings trade jokes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T08:55:09-08:00">December 11th, 8:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T08:55:09-08:00">December 11th, 8:55am</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>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-mourning-is-all-of-us-when-it-comes-to-lamelo-ball-trade-rumors">NBA trade speculation accelerates</a>, one rumor continues to circulate online: a potential LaMelo Ball deal involving the Sacramento Kings. League reporting, however, indicates there is no basis for linking the Charlotte Hornets guard to Sacramento’s plans.</p><p>NBA insider Jake Fischer addressed the topic on the latest episode of Bleacher Report’s Insider Notebook with Jake Fischer, clarifying that Sacramento has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAMVMh9f7KA" rel="noopener">shown no interest in pursuing</a> the former All-Star.</p><p>“I don’t think Sacramento is really interested in LaMelo Ball. I think everything Scott Perry has talked about, both privately and publicly since taking over this team, points to a desire to reestablish a tough, gritty identity,” Fischer said.</p><p>He also cited how Ball is viewed in some league circles.</p><p>“Someone I spoke with on the phone this morning — a prominent NBA figure — called LaMelo Ball ‘the most unserious player in the NBA.’ That’s not my opinion — that was a quote from someone inside the league. I don’t think Sacramento would view LaMelo as someone to really reinvigorate their culture around,” he said.</p><h2><b>Kings’ guard-heavy roster and culture shift leave no room for LaMelo Ball pursuit</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Sacramento’s roster construction further undercuts any notion of a Ball pursuit. The Kings already carry significant guard depth, featuring Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, and Devin Carter among a group that totals 10 guards. The organization has spent the season emphasizing defensive size, physicality and versatility — areas that do not align with adding another high-usage playmaker.</p><p>Ball, 24, remains a core figure in Charlotte’s long-term outlook despite team struggles. He is averaging 19.4 points, 8.5 assists, six rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting career-lows of 38.6% from the field and 28.5% from three. He has appeared in 16 games this season while logging 28.9 minutes per contest.</p><p>Both franchises continue forward with their schedules. The Hornets (7–17) face the Chicago Bulls (9–14) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-zach-lavine-out-thumb-injury-sacramento-upset-nuggets">Kings (6–18) return home to host the Denver Nuggets</a> (17–6) on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.</p><p>Despite ongoing league-wide rumor activity, indications remain unchanged: Sacramento is not expected to explore a trade for LaMelo Ball.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Stop all your LaMelo Ball-to-Kings trade jokes

<!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-hilariously-ran-out-onto-court-raptors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ LaMelo Ball hilariously ran out onto the court with Raptors');   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/2025/12/Scottie-Barnes.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ LaMelo Ball hilariously ran out onto the court with Raptors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-05T19:25:34-08:00">December 5th, 7:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-05T19:25:34-08:00">December 5th, 7:25pm</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>LaMelo Ball got himself into a hilarious mix-up ahead of the Charlotte <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-brandon-miller-playing-raptors-injury-report">Hornets’ matchup against the Toronto Raptors</a> on Friday night.</p><p>Ball is going through the sixth season of his NBA career, all with the Hornets. He looks to achieve a playoff berth with the team, something he has yet to do aside from play-in tournament cameos.</p><p>Preparing for the matchup, Ball somehow got himself in a situation where he ran out onto the court. It wasn’t just a typical run out with his team; instead, it was the Raptors squad he <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1997117488048624058" rel="noopener">ended up running out with</a>. The Hornets did play it off with a laugh, noticing the blooper he just had.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Why’d LaMelo Ball run out onto the court with the Raptors? 😅😅</p><p><a href="https://t.co/RDiSKz4PA1">pic.twitter.com/RDiSKz4PA1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1997117488048624058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How LaMelo Ball, Hornets played against Raptors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Immanuel-Quickley.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Aside from the funny mix-up, LaMelo Ball and the Hornets took care of business as they blew out the Raptors 111-86.</p><p>Charlotte got off to a slow start in the game, trailing 24-1 after the first quarter. Despite this, they came alive for the remainder of the night by scoring 93 points in the last three quarters. They also held Toronto to under 20 points throughout the second and fourth periods, paving the way for a solid blowout win.</p><p>Free throws, rebounding and ball movement made the difference in this matchup. The Hornets prevailed in all three categories by making 24 free throws, securing 47 rebounds and creating 26 assists. It wasn’t the same for the Raptors as they only made nine shots at the line, grabbed 41 rebounds and dished out 19 assists.</p><p>Six players scored in double-digit for Charlotte in the win, including Ball. He finished with a stat line of 11 points, three assists, two rebounds, and a steal. He shot 4-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Kon Knueppel led the team in scoring with 21 points and seven assists. Tidjane Salaun came next with 21 points and three rebounds, Miles Bridges had 15 points and nine rebounds, Brandon Miller put up 12 points and three rebounds, while Ryan Kalkbrenner provided 12 points and six rebounds.</p><p>Charlotte improved to a 7-16 record on the season, holding the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 1.5 games above the Brooklyn Nets and 2.5 games above the Indiana Pacers while trailing the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks by three games.</p><p>The Hornets will look forward to their next matchup, being at home. They host the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball hilariously ran out onto the court with Raptors

<!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-brandon-miller-playing-raptors-injury-report');   ga('set', 'title', 'Are LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller playing tonight? Hornets vs. Raptors 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/2025/01/LaMelo-Ball-brings-the-ball-down.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Are LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller playing tonight? Hornets vs. Raptors injury report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-05T08:23:59-08:00">December 5th, 8:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-05T08:37:36-08:00">December 5th, 8:37am</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">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets will play the Toronto Raptors on the road on Friday night. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are among the Hornets listed on the injury report, however. So, are Ball and Miller playing tonight vs. the Raptors?</p><p>LaMelo is on the injury report with a left wrist sprain. Miller is dealing with left shoulder subluxation.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/lamelo-ball-playing-tonight-hornets-bucks-nba-cup-injury-report">Ball has dealt with injury concerns</a> at times this season. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-brandon-miller-miss-multiple-weeks-shoulder-injury">same can be said for Miller</a>. Both players feature high ceilings, but they need to find a way to stay on the floor.</p><p>Here’s everything we know about LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller’s injury statuses for tonight’s game vs. the Raptors.</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="sponsored noopener"><b><i>Get Access | Save $30</i></b></a><i>)</i><b><i>*</i></b></p><h2><b>LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller’s injury statuses vs. Raptors</b></h2><p>According to the NBA injury report, Ball is <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2025-12-05_10AM.pdf" rel="noopener">listed as probable</a> while Miller is questionable to play on Friday night.</p><p>Friday’s matchup projects to be a challenge for the Hornets. Toronto’s 15-8 record is good for third in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is 12th in the conference with a 6-16 record.</p><p>Having Ball and Miller available would go a long way toward a potential upset. As for the question of if LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are playing tonight vs. the Raptors, the answer is uncertain at the moment.</p><h2><b>Hornets’ injury report</b></h2><p>The Hornets have nine players on Friday’s injury report.</p><ul><li>LaMelo Ball (left wrist sprain): Probable</li><li>Brandon Miller (left shoulder subluxation): Questionable</li><li>Tre Mann (right knee soreness): Questionable</li><li>Ryan Kalkbrenner (left ankle contusion): Questionable</li><li>Pat Connaughton (right calf strain): Out</li><li>Josh Green (left shoulder surgery): Out</li><li>Collin Sexton (left quad strain): Out</li><li>Grant Williams (right knee surgery): Out</li><li>Drew Peterson (G League two-way): Out</li></ul><p>The Raptors were defeated 123-120 on Thursday night by the Los Angeles Lakers. As a result, Friday’s game represents the second of a back-to-back for the team, meaning they have yet to release their injury report for the contest.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Are LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller playing tonight? Hornets vs. Raptors 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/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-mourning-is-all-of-us-when-it-comes-to-lamelo-ball-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alonzo Mourning is all of us when it comes to LaMelo Ball trade rumors from the 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/2025/12/Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Alonzo Mourning is all of us when it comes to LaMelo Ball trade rumors from the Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-04T12:09:57-08:00">December 4th, 12:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-04T12:09:57-08:00">December 4th, 12:09pm</time><address><a>Jake Faigus</a>Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has written for several publications and websites. He has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix when he is not writing for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 season has been awful for the Charlotte Hornets. They are 6-16 and do not have much hope of turning things around this season. The rough start has led to a lot of trade speculation about LaMelo Ball and who might be interested in trading for him. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-open-to-trade-amid-rumored-frustration" rel="noopener">Those rumors will persist for the Hornets until the trade deadline</a>, unless they somehow turn their season around.</p><p>Former Charlotte Hornet and Miami Heat center, Alonzo Mourning, talked all things basketball in an exclusive interview with “Videogamer.” In the interview, Mourning mainly spoke about the Miami Heat, as he is the Vice President of Player Programs and Development. However, he also talked about his old team, the Hornets, and when asked about Ball, <a href="https://www.videogamer.com/news/alonzo-mourning-exclusive-nba-jam-heat-lebron/" rel="noopener">he said he has no idea what will happen with him</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alonzo Mourning is all of us when it comes to LaMelo Ball trade rumors from the 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/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-news-ja-morant-fires-back-espn-report-dissing-himself-trae-young-lamelo-ball');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fires back at ESPN report dissing himself, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball');   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/2025/12/Morant-and-Ball.jpg"><figcaption> Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fires back at ESPN report dissing himself, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T15:36:33-08:00">December 3rd, 3:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-04T12:41:52-08:00">December 4th, 12:41pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Memphis Grizzlies</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday, a report was published by ESPN detailing the opinions of several scouts and executives around the league, who predictably chose to remain unnamed, around All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-rumors-rival-exec-believes-no-choice-trade-ja-morant">point guards Ja Morant</a>, Trae Young, and LaMelo Ball. The opinions and analyses were overwhelmingly negative and painted the three potential trade candidates in an unflattering light as their respective teams continue their 2025-26 seasons.</p><p>Now, Morant has gone on the offensive, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/exclusive-grizzlies-news-jaren-jackson-jr-downplaying-imaginative-ja-morant-drama">with the Grizzlies star</a> firing back at the ESPN article with a post on his Instagram story.</p><p>“Strange times out here. Stay woke. Love to da guyz,” he wrote, alongside a blue heart emoji, <a href="https://x.com/HawkMuse/status/1996304288264454226" rel="noopener">via HawksMuse on X</a>, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Morant has never been shy about keeping his opinions to himself, and his Instagram story comes at what has been a turbulent time for the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis currently sits several games below .500 and Morant has been in and out of the lineup due to both injury and a suspension that he served for publicly calling out the coaching staff.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have been performing well without Trae Young in the lineup due to a sprained MCL, igniting trade chatter on that front, and LaMelo Ball recently shot down a report that he was discontent with the Charlotte Hornets amid a rough start to their season.</p><p>Overall, Morant, Young, and Ball were once thought to be the next class of superstar point guards in the league, and they still very well could be, considering that they’re all still entering or in their primes, and still possess elite talent. However, to say that things haven’t gone according to plan for the trio over the last few years would be an understatement.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether the Grizzlies, Hawks, or Hornets would ever actually entertain trading their star point guard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fires back at ESPN report dissing himself, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball

<!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-globetrotter-label-unfortunately-100-spot-on');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why the LaMelo Ball ‘Globetrotter’ label is unfortunately 100% spot-on');   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/2025/12/Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why the LaMelo Ball ‘Globetrotter’ label is unfortunately 100% spot-on</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T11:00:21-08:00">December 3rd, 11:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T11:00:21-08:00">December 3rd, 11:00am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-lamelo-ball-trade-buzz-cold-water-dumped">LaMelo Ball arrived in Charlotte in 2020</a> amid massive hype, a high school phenom whose combination of size, skill, and flair immediately drew comparisons to elite point guards across the league. Four seasons later, the Hornets’ 24-year-old star remains a fascinating talent but a frustrating case study, earning the ‘Globetrotter’ label from scouts and executives alike, a label that, as much as it stings for his fans, is difficult to dispute.</p><h2><b>Talent that turns heads but doesn’t always translate</b></h2><p>From a purely statistical perspective, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-open-to-trade-amid-rumored-frustration">Ball has never failed to impress.</a> In 245 career games, he’s averaged 20.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 6 rebounds per night, with flashes of brilliance that showcase his court vision, deep shooting range, and elite passing ability.</p><p>Individual seasons have included multiple 23+ point averages and more than eight assists per game, underscoring his potential as a franchise cornerstone.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LaMelo Ball this season:</p><p>18.9 PPG<br>6.1 RPG<br>8.9 APG<br>38/28/87 Splits<br>49.9 TS%</p><p>He’s shooting under 40% (39.8) from the field over his last 60 career games <a href="https://t.co/ghkqiovLpC">pic.twitter.com/ghkqiovLpC</a></p><p>— 🎞 (@PeakRT_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeakRT_/status/1995692430541422811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Yet, numbers alone mask inconsistencies that frustrate teams and fans. His shooting splits this season, 37.9% from the floor and 28.1% from deep, reflect poor shot selection and an unbalanced approach to scoring.</p><p>Executives routinely cite his penchant for launching long, contested threes early in the shot clock as emblematic of a player who sometimes values spectacle over efficiency.</p><p>Even the most optimistic scouting reports admit that while his talent is unquestioned, his approach on any given night can feel more like a highlight reel than a disciplined game plan.</p><h2><b>Fragility that costs teams</b></h2><p>Talent alone is rarely enough in the NBA; availability matters just as much. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-charles-lee-opens-about-lamelo-ball-brandon-miller-minutes-restrictions">Ball’s career thus far has been marred by injuries</a> that limit his value as a reliable leader.</p><p>He has missed significant time in each of the past three seasons due to recurring right ankle issues, including six games this year alone with impingement.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LaMelo Ball showing off the range to the Nets crowd 🔥 <br> <a href="https://t.co/bWNIlWrdP1">pic.twitter.com/bWNIlWrdP1</a></p><p>— Hornets Nation (@HornetsNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsNationCP/status/1995677721243123755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Over 36, 22, and 47 games across previous campaigns, he has not managed a full slate of games, leaving Charlotte perpetually scrambling for continuity and rhythm.</p><p>Even when on the court, there are subtle questions about his stamina and ability to maintain peak performance over a grueling 82-game season.</p><p>Durability concerns, coupled with his inconsistency, exacerbate the impression that while Ball can dominate for flashes, he cannot yet be counted on in the grind of the regular season, let alone high-stakes playoff moments.</p><h2><b>The question of focus and maturity</b></h2><p>Perhaps the most critical and damning aspect of the ‘Globetrotter’ label is Ball’s composure. Scouts, executives, and even his own coaching staff have expressed frustration at a perceived laissez-faire attitude.</p><p>He’s frequently described as “unserious,” a player whose incredible gifts are undermined by poor decision-making and a sometimes casual approach to game management.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-blasts-false-amid-info-swirling-trade-rumor">While LaMelo has publicly dismissed trade rumors</a> and expressed commitment to the Hornets, his on-court habits, long-range heaves, high-risk passes, and moments of unnecessary flair reinforce the narrative.</p><p>In high-pressure situations, particularly late-game and playoff contexts, there remains legitimate uncertainty about whether Ball can consistently make the right choices.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LaMelo Ball reportedly has “negative trade value” according to ESPN </p><p>If true, this would mean the Hornets would have to incentivise teams to take him with draft capital or sacrifice one of their young players to get rid of him and his contract <a href="https://t.co/jkWpyjmtoe">pic.twitter.com/jkWpyjmtoe</a></p><p>— DKM 🏀 (@DKM_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/DKM_Sports/status/1996289544753209736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Talent, in this case, only partially mitigates the concern.</p><p>LaMelo Ball is undeniably a gifted player whose highlight-reel plays captivate fans nightly. Yet, when viewed through the lens of consistency, durability, and composure, <a href="https://www.espn.in/nba/story/_/id/47179857/ja-morant-lamelo-ball-trae-young-three-all-star-guards-limbo" rel="noopener">the ‘Globetrotter’ label</a>, frustrating as it may be, is a fair characterization of where he stands today.</p><p>Until he proves he can combine elite talent with sustained focus and health,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-insider-reveals-absolutely-certain-mindset-lamelo-ball-trade"> the Hornets’ hopes will continue to ride on flashes</a> rather than the full measure of a franchise-defining star.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why the LaMelo Ball ‘Globetrotter’ label is unfortunately 100% spot-on

<!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/nba-stories/nba-news-trae-young-ja-morant-lamelo-ball-absolutely-destroyed-insiders-amid-trade-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Trae Young, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball absolutely destroyed by NBA insiders amid trade buzz');   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/2025/12/Young-and-Morant.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Trae Young, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball absolutely destroyed by NBA insiders amid trade buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T08:40:49-08:00">December 3rd, 8:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T08:56:03-08:00">December 3rd, 8:56am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the emerging storylines around the NBA so far this year is the trade rumors surrounding several key players in the league, including Memphis Grizzlies<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/nba-rumors-ja-morant-trade-speculation-ropes-trae-young-zach-lavine"> star point guard Ja Morant</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-blasts-false-amid-info-swirling-trade-rumor">Charlotte Hornets guard</a> LaMelo Ball. Ball recently shot down a report of his own desire to be traded, while Morant has already been suspended for a game this year due to his calling out the coaching staff after a loss.</p><p>Recently, an article was published on ESPN.com detailing <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47179857/ja-morant-lamelo-ball-trae-young-three-all-star-guards-limbo#morant" rel="noopener">some league execs’ hesitancy</a> when it comes to these players.</p><p>“The combination of pain in the a**, injury prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one,” said one scout about Morant, per Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN.</p><p>“Ja has been going down, down, down,” said a Western Conference general manager who didn’t want to be named. “I don’t know how much of that is due to motivation. You’ve got to be able to look under the hood. I’m just not sure about his health.”</p><p>Meanwhile, league executives didn’t have glowing reviews of Ball, either.</p><p>“He takes the same shots now that he took in high school,” a West assistant coach said. “Nothing has changed. I actually thought early in the year he was giving more of an honest effort defensively, but the offensive side looks like nothing has changed.”</p><p>“Can I trust LaMelo in the playoffs and games that matter late in the season?” wondered an Eastern exec. “We just don’t know.”</p><p>Some vitriol was also aimed at Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who is currently injured.</p><p>“He’s just small and doesn’t play any defense,” said an East scout.</p><p>The Hawks have played well in Young’s absence, which has further fueled trade speculation around the star.</p><p>Overall, it’s still yet to be determined whether any of these star point guards, who were all at one point viewed as the faces of their respective franchises, will be moved in the coming months.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Trae Young, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball absolutely destroyed by NBA insiders amid trade buzz

<!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/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-pushing-jeremiah-fears-using-tony-parker-lamelo-ball-examples-james-borrego');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Pelicans are pushing Jeremiah Fears using Tony Parker, LaMelo Ball as examples');   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/2025/11/Jeremiah-Fears-following-Tony-Parker-Lamelo-Ball-examples.jpg"></figure><h1>How Pelicans are pushing Jeremiah Fears using Tony Parker, LaMelo Ball as examples</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-30T20:36:03-08:00">November 30th, 8:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-30T20:36:03-08:00">November 30th, 8:36pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/how-jeremiah-fears-family-pelicans-rookie-onboarding-process">education of New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears</a> is being guided by a unique coaching perspective, one that sees flashes of two distinct, brilliant point guards from James Borrego’s past. The Big Easy’s interim bench boss has coached Tony Parker and LaMelo Ball, seeing a bit of both in Fears. Everyone in the building is leaning into those parallels not to burden the 19-year-old with expectations, but to guide the Oklahoma alum through the inevitable turbulence of learning how to run an NBA team.</p><p>Borrego <a href="https://x.com/pelsfilmroom/status/1993830143333421320" rel="noopener">shared a few tidbits</a> with ClutchPoints around Thanksgiving.</p><p>“We’ve talked about it, (Fears) and I,” Borrego began. “I think all three are natural scorers. I think I’ve said that before. They’ve come in and that’s what makes them great. That is why (Fears, Parker, and Ball) are on this stage. Parker did it; LaMelo did it. Their instinct is to score, go get downhill, and make plays.”</p><p>That instinct has always been both a gift and a challenge for young point guards who enter the league wired to attack. For  Fears, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/fix-zion-williamson-pelicans-need-james-borrego-engineer-immediately-nba-standings">Pelicans see the same balance</a> that had to be struck with Parker early in San Antonio and Ball in Charlotte. Walking the highwire tension between freelancing brilliance and the demands of keeping All-Star veterans happy is not for everyone after all.</p><p>“There is a balance between finding yours and playing within a system and making sure that you’re playing as a five-man unit,” added Borrgeo. “That is not always easy for a rookie. LaMelo struggled at times. I had to correct that and it just took some time.”</p><p>The Pelicans are willing to live with those bumps because they’re seeing the right signs behind the scenes.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jeremiah-Fears-Pelicans-celebrates-shot.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Borrego acknowledges that the rookie is still figuring out when to push, when to pass, and when to let the game breathe, he said Fears’ work ethic has quickly become a defining trait inside the building.</p><p>“The goal is to find the best looks for the team,” Borrego explained. “Jeremiah has been great. He’s open, he wants to be great. (Fears) works harder than anyone in that building. Ultimately, he is going to get there because of his work ethic, his talent, his swagger, his confidence, all that, but there are learning curves along the way. And it’s not just Jeremiah, it’s any rookie, especially at the point guard spot. That’s probably the toughest challenge. You’re trying to manage the game, manage a team, and still live in your instincts as a basketball player. That’s a lot to manage when you’re 19 years old. This kid should be in college this year as a freshman.”</p><p>Borrego brought up Parker again, underscoring that even future Hall of Famers needed time. Parker entered the league at 19 and endured tough love from Gregg Popovich, who routinely benched him, barked at him, and demanded command of the offense before granting trust.</p><p>“I saw (Tony Parker) evolve into that. Tony, it took a couple of years with (Gregg Popovich). You know, Pop was on his tail day after day. Game after game,” Borrego recalled. “(Parker) did not finish every game. Sometimes he would come out of the lineup, so there is a learning curve there for all of these young rookies. With LaMelo, I loved that process with him as well, taking time, talking game management.”</p><p>That same process is underway in New Orleans, though Borrego emphasizes that Fears brings a humility and eagerness that makes coaching him easy.</p><p>“Nothing different. (Fears) is a wonderful kid,” Borrego stressed. “He is a sponge who wants to get better and be great.”</p><p>The Pelicans aren’t asking Jeremiah Fears to be the next Tony Parker or LaMelo Ball. They simply see the blueprint. And if Fears follows it with the same drive he’s already shown, Borrego believes the rookie point guard will grow into the role the same way his predecessors did. By learning, adjusting, and trusting that the difficult parts are all part of the ascent, Fears is surely cemented in the Big Easy’s foundation for the foreseeable future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Pelicans are pushing Jeremiah Fears using Tony Parker, LaMelo Ball as examples

<!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-charles-lee-opens-about-lamelo-ball-brandon-miller-minutes-restrictions');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ Charles Lee opens up about LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller minutes restrictions');   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/2025/11/Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ Charles Lee opens up about LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller minutes restrictions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-30T03:33:21-08:00">November 30th, 3:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-30T03:33:58-08:00">November 30th, 3:33am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets may be just 6-14 on the season, but Saturday night felt like progress. In a gritty overtime battle, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-charles-lee-explains-lamelo-ball-overtime-decision-bucks">Charlotte snapped the Toronto Raptors’ nine-game winning streak,</a> earning a 118-111 victory behind a huge performance from Miles Bridges and steady late-game composure from their young core.</p><p>Bridges finished with 35 points, including 10 in overtime, while LaMelo Ball and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-brandon-miller-to-return-from-13-game-absence-vs-clippers">Brandon Miller helped steady the offense</a> in their first back-to-back action in weeks.</p><p>But despite both being key closers, neither saw a typical full starter workload.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Hornets snap the Raptors 9-game winning streak. 🔥👀 <a href="https://t.co/0MQ5Q9U6Dw">pic.twitter.com/0MQ5Q9U6Dw</a></p><p>— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1994946619712868800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>After the win, head coach Charles Lee addressed the noticeable <a href="https://x.com/HornetsReddit/status/1994967595389211069?s=20" rel="noopener">minute limitations</a> on Ball and Miller, making it clear that the Hornets are prioritizing long-term health over short-term urgency.</p><p>“We’ll see how they recover after their first back-to-back in a while,” Lee said. “You just have to keep the process, the long-term vision, in mind even when you’re in these moments.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-lamelo-ball-trade-buzz-cold-water-dumped">Ball, averaging 19.5 points,</a> 6.2 rebounds, and 8.5 assists this season, logged controlled stretches while focusing on pacing and rhythm rather than volume.</p><p>Miller, who has been emerging as a secondary scoring threat with 17.0 points per game through six appearances, also played under watch.</p><p>Lee emphasized maturity from both players, noting their willingness to buy into the approach rather than push for heavier minutes.</p><p>“We want to win every game, obviously, and those two guys help you do it,” Lee continued. “But we do have really good depth, and so you lean on that depth in moments like this.”</p><p>That depth showed: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-reggie-miller-bold-claim-kon-knueppel-stephen-curry">Kon Knueppel remained steady with 18.4 points</a> per game across 20 outings, while team role-players defended and executed late.</p><p>Even with a losing record, the Hornets are showing signs of a healthier identity, one built around patience, controlled development, and structure.</p><p>If Ball and Miller continue progressing physically while the supporting cast keeps delivering, Saturday’s win may not be a one-off, but the beginning of a turning point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ Charles Lee opens up about LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller minutes restrictions

<!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/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-josh-hart-jalen-brunson-flowers-lamelo-ball-pass-head');   ga('set', 'title', 'Knicks’ Josh Hart sarcastically gives Jalen Brunson his flowers after taking LaMelo Ball pass off head');   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/2025/11/New-York-Knicks-guard-Jalen-Brunson-11-and-guard-Josh-Hart-3-react.jpg"><figcaption>© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Knicks’ Josh Hart sarcastically gives Jalen Brunson his flowers after taking LaMelo Ball pass off head</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-27T09:56:16-08:00">November 27th, 9:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-27T09:56:16-08:00">November 27th, 9:56am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-josh-hart-caps-19-point-1st-half-textbook-3-point">Knicks were able to defeat the Charlotte Hornets</a> 129-101 in the NBA Cup group stage play, and they were able to use their defense to power them to victory. Typically, defenders use their hands to make things hard for the opposition, but in Jalen Brunson’s case, he used his head in one situation during the game.</p><p>LaMelo Ball was dribbling the ball down the court and tried to fire a pass to somebody. Instead, the ball hit Brunson’s head, and it went out. Brunson probably didn’t see the ball coming his way, but it was good that he happened to be in the right place at the right time.</p><p>After the game, Josh Hart made sure to give his teammate some props for stopping the pass.</p><p>“Way to use your head my boy [Jalen Brunson],” Hart wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Way to use your head my boy <a href="https://twitter.com/jalenbrunson1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jalenbrunson1</a> <a href="https://t.co/AV9suGSusM">https://t.co/AV9suGSusM</a></p><p>— Josh Hart (@joshhart) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshhart/status/1994068103626408058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-josh-hart-laughs-jalen-brunson-stumbling-mid-interview">Hart and Brunson are always joking</a> with each other, so it’s no surprise that he said something about the play when he got the chance.</p><p>The Knicks are currently 11-6, and they’ve been playing well for the most part. They’re still getting adjusted to head coach Mike Brown and his system, so there have been some times when things don’t look great, but when you have the talent as they do on the team, sometimes they can just figure it out on the fly.</p><p>In their win against the Hornets, it was Brunson who led the way, finishing with 33 points. The rest of the starting lineup finished scoring in double digits as well, and they showed it was a complete team effort to be able to get the win. As the season continues, the Knicks should continue to improve, and they’ll probably be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, like they have been the past two years.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Knicks’ Josh Hart sarcastically gives Jalen Brunson his flowers after taking LaMelo Ball pass off head

<!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', '/other-sports/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-threw-no-look-pass-jalen-brunsons-head-side-backboard-shot-1-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ LaMelo Ball threw a no-look pass off Jalen Brunson’s head, hit side of backboard on shot all in 1 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/2025/11/Ball_3f622c.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ LaMelo Ball threw a no-look pass off Jalen Brunson’s head, hit side of backboard on shot all in 1 game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-27T07:38:10-08:00">November 27th, 7:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-27T07:38:10-08:00">November 27th, 7:38am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other Sports</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was a night full of highs, lows, and laughs for LaMelo Ball, even if the results weren’t exactly what the Charlotte Hornets wanted. The Hornets dropped their seventh straight game Wednesday night, falling 129-101 to the New York Knicks, but Ball managed to provide a couple of comedic moments amidst the team’s struggles.</p><p>In the first instance, Ball attempted a flashy no-look pass, only for it to smack right into the head of Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LAMELO NO-LOOK PASS 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/T1aSnG3gKr">pic.twitter.com/T1aSnG3gKr</a></p><p>— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrickCenter_/status/1993838672291221903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The crowd reacted with a mixture of laughter and disbelief, and Ball’s teammates could only shake their heads. The sequence captured the unpredictable side of the Hornets’ young star, who is known for his creativity and court vision but sometimes struggles with execution.</p><p>Later in the same game, Ball tried to sink a <a href="https://x.com/BrickCenter_/status/1993853624829772167" rel="noopener">three-pointer</a>, only for the shot to hit the side of the backboard and bounce away. While it wasn’t the highlight he had hoped for, it added to the bizarre night, which already included him fouling out in the third quarter and receiving a technical foul for arguing with officials.</p><p>Despite these funny and memorable moments, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-new-york-happy-spanksgiving-headline-hornets">the Hornets couldn’t overcome the dominant Knicks’ performance.</a> Jalen Brunson led New York with 33 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Hart contributed 22 points as the Knicks shot 50% from three-point range.</p><p>Charlotte was never in serious contention, as New York held a 24-point lead before coach Mike Brown even rested his starters.</p><p>For the Hornets, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-brandon-miller-to-return-from-13-game-absence-vs-clippers">Brandon Miller showed promise with 18 points</a> in just his second game back from a shoulder injury, but the team continues to struggle in NBA Cup action, having lost 10 straight Cup games over the past three seasons.</p><p>Ball’s antics, the no-look pass off Brunson’s head, and the backboard-bound three may provide some lighthearted relief in a disappointing season. Yet, for a team trying to build momentum and credibility in the NBA Cup, it’s clear the Hornets have bigger challenges to overcome beyond highlight-reel mistakes.</p><p>As Charlotte looks to regroup, fans can at least laugh at <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-lamelo-ball-trade-buzz-cold-water-dumped">the chaotic brilliance that is LaMelo Ball,</a> even if it doesn’t always lead to wins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball threw a no-look pass off Jalen Brunson’s head, hit side of backboard on shot all in 1 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/hornets-rumors-lamelo-ball-trade-buzz-cold-water-dumped');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets rumors: LaMelo Ball trade buzz gets more cold water dumped on it');   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/2025/11/IMG_0338.jpeg"><figcaption>Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets rumors: LaMelo Ball trade buzz gets more cold water dumped on it</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-23T08:35:29-08:00">November 23rd, 8:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-23T08:35:29-08:00">November 23rd, 8:35am</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When it comes to NBA trade rumors, there was a bit of a buzz caused this past week when a report came out that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-open-to-trade-amid-rumored-frustration">Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball might be open to a trade</a> amid the team’s poor start to the season. Following the report, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-fires-back-at-reports-frustration-with-1-emoji">Ball took to social media to essentially deem the report as false</a>. And over the weekend, new information seemed to suggest that any trade rumors involving the Hornets’ star guard <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-the-pieces-of-this-seasons?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=179678288&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">don’t have much merit</a>, as of now, as per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.</p><p>Although Fischer acknowledges that potential LaMelo Ball trade talks could ultimately heat up as it gets closer to the trade deadline, there isn’t much there presently.</p><p>“By Thursday afternoon, I’d heard enough from rival team executives curious about the availability of LaMelo Ball that checking in with sources holding direct knowledge of Ball’s status was a must. Yet I was cautioned almost as quickly that it would be premature to go too far in depth on Ball’s trade candidacy,” Fischer reports. “One source said it was way too soon. Another source passed along that the Hornets might eventually reach a point before the Feb. 5 trade deadline that they decide to seriously field offers for the former All-Star guard but echoed the notion that we’re not there yet.”</p><p>Fischer also reports that Ball is among the top guards, along with Ja Morant and Trae Young, that are being monitored by rival teams regarding their potential trade availability. All three players are currently on teams that are underachieving through the first month of the regular season.</p><p>Ball has appeared in 1o of the Hornets’ first 16 games at a little over 30 minutes per game. He’s averaging 21.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 39.3 percent shooting from the field, 28.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 87.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets rumors: LaMelo Ball trade buzz gets more cold water dumped on it

<!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-blasts-false-amid-info-swirling-trade-rumor');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ LaMelo Ball blasts ‘false info’ amid swirling trade rumor');   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/2025/11/Hornets-star-LaMelo-Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ LaMelo Ball blasts ‘false info’ amid swirling trade rumor</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-21T12:40:27-08:00">November 21st, 12:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-21T12:40:38-08:00">November 21st, 12:40pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Charlotte Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball wasted little time in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-fires-back-at-reports-frustration-with-1-emoji">denying a report</a> that claimed he was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-open-to-trade-amid-rumored-frustration">open to a trade</a> amid “frustrations” with the organization. The 2022 All-Star and former Rookie of the Year posted a clown emoji after the story started making the rounds, but he went into more detail about the matter on Friday afternoon. Ball <a href="https://x.com/JeremyGrandiso1/status/1991939377950540285" rel="noopener">publicly reiterated his loyalty</a> to the franchise that drafted him back in 2020.</p><p>“He never heard that come from me,” the 24-year-old point guard said, per Jeremy Grandison of Fourcast Sports, referring to Kelly Iko’s Yahoo Sports article. “The source is not from me. It’s false info… I love being here. I’m just trying to win, that’s it… I’m still confident in this whole group and everybody here, so I’m rockin’ with it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LaMelo Ball addressed yesterday’s headlines during media availability, saying “The source didn’t come from me. It’s falso info.” </p><p>Ball was later asked if he’s content being in Charlotte, to which he responded “I love being here”. <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveReedAP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SteveReedAP</a> with the Q. Full answer here. <a href="https://t.co/BEWffYWNgZ">pic.twitter.com/BEWffYWNgZ</a></p><p>— Jeremy Grandison (@JeremyGrandiso1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyGrandiso1/status/1991939377950540285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Hornets fans probably needed to hear Ball reaffirm his loyalty, but some skepticism is bound to remain. Even if the former No. 3 overall pick is not seeking a trade at this time, one has to wonder how long this marriage will last. Charlotte (4-11) has lost seven of its last eight games, quickly falling behind in what is supposed to be an opportunity-laden Eastern Conference. This is still a young team, but visible improvement is expected, nay demanded.</p><p>Thus far, despite rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-kon-knueppel-drawing-klay-thompson-devin-booker-comparisons">Kon Knueppel’s stellar start</a>, the Hornets remain stagnant. Ball’s own struggles are only adding to the concerns surrounding the squad. He is scoring 21.6 points per game on inefficient 38.5 percent shooting through nine games. His bad habit of attempting ill-advised buckets is worse than ever, making him a liability at times. His talent is undeniable, as demonstrated by the 9.6 assists and 1.4 steals he is averaging this season, but he must exercise considerably more discipline on the floor.</p><p>Otherwise, Charlotte will fail to take the next step in its rebuild. Beyond what LaMelo Ball wants, the Hornets need to feel comfortable about No. 1 leading them for the years to come. Per his words, however, both parties are apparently on the same page for the time being.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball blasts ‘false info’ amid swirling trade rumor

<!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/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-lamelo-ball-trade-hornets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Should Mavericks consider making LaMelo Ball trade with 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/2025/11/Should-Mavericks-consider-making-LaMelo-Ball-trade-with-Hornets.jpg"></figure><h1>Should Mavericks consider making LaMelo Ball trade with Hornets?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-21T09:46:49-08:00">November 21st, 9:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-21T09:46:49-08:00">November 21st, 9:46am</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">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LaMelo Ball has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate in recent seasons amid the Charlotte Hornets’ continued struggles. The Dallas Mavericks have serious point guard question marks and could make sense as a landing destination for the guard. Ball <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-open-to-trade-amid-rumored-frustration">trade rumors recently picked up</a> due to a report from Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.</p><p>“Amidst a rough 4-11 start, Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball has grown increasingly frustrated with the organization and is open to a trade, league sources tell @YahooSports,” Iko <a href="https://x.com/KellyIko/status/1991626705702973453" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-fires-back-at-reports-frustration-with-1-emoji">Ball responded to the post</a> with one emoji, seemingly shutting down the report as a result.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="art">🤡 <a href="https://t.co/JFzW4alF0k">https://t.co/JFzW4alF0k</a></p><p>— Melo (@MELOD1P) <a href="https://twitter.com/MELOD1P/status/1991644767235764597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Nevertheless, the Hornets are 4-11 overall and could decide to further rebuild by moving on from LaMelo and building around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. There is certainly a chance that Ball remains in the Hornets’ long-term plans, especially if he is indeed content in Charlotte. If Iko’s report is true — which is questionable at the moment given Ball’s response — a trade could occur sooner rather than later.</p><p>If Ball is made available, should the Mavs pursue a trade with the Hornets? Let’s look at both arguments.</p><h2><b>Why a trade for LaMelo Ball doesn’t make sense for Mavericks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Hornets-12.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Mavericks are not playing any better than the Hornets at the moment. At 4-12, Dallas is 13th in the Western Conference standings.</p><p>Additionally, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-rumors-marc-stein-anthony-davis-trade-mark-cuban">Mavs are reportedly interested in at least listening to Anthony Davis trade offers</a>. Injury problems are already a concern with the Mavs, as AD is among the players battling injury trouble. Ball is extremely talented, but he’s dealt with a number of injury concerns of his own during his NBA career.</p><p>Trading for another injury-prone star after acquiring Davis last year could be defined as a head-scratching move. Of course, Ball is much younger than Davis and would be a player to build around for the future alongside Cooper Flagg, but the injuries and Mavericks’ current underperformance may cause Dallas to hesitate before pursuing a deal.</p><p>Making the move would also prove to be a challenge from a financial standpoint.</p><h2><b>Why Mavs should consider the move</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Lamelo-Ball_42e994.jpg"><figcaption>Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>If the Mavericks can make things work financially, then there is also an argument to be made for pursuing LaMelo Ball.</p><p>As aforementioned, Dallas’ point guard situation needs to be addressed. Since trading Luka Doncic, the Mavericks have dealt with uncertainty at the position. Kyrie Irving is currently recovering from ACL surgery, while it was revealed on Thursday that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dante-exum-knee-surgery-miss-season">Dante Exum will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season</a> due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, D’Angelo Russell is extremely inconsistent and Brandon Williams’ overall inexperience makes him difficult to completely trust as a starter.</p><p>Ball is a proven star. His scoring and play-making would instantly boost one of the league’s worst offenses. The team has endured trouble when it comes to creating for Flagg, but Ball is capable of setting up his teammates for quality looks. Flagg’s scoring numbers would likely increase if the Mavericks acquired Ball.</p><p>Sure, LaMelo is going to take some questionable shot attempts. His talent is undeniable, though, and he could be the answer to helping the Mavericks get back on track.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
21.2	6.6	9.3	0.1	1.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
21.2	6.6	9.3	0.1	1.3

LaMelo Ball news

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