Charlotte

Hornets

Ball took a hit to the face early in this game after both he and head coach Charles Lee went for a ball that was going out of bounds. Ball went to the locker room, but he was able to return and push Charlotte’s winning streak to seven games. Ball hasn’t been the only reason for Charlotte’s recent success, but he has only missed three games since November, which is a great development for him. They continue to manage his minutes, which has allowed him to stay available. That limits his impact in the box score, but he’s still able to be more productive that most players in limited action.

Williams has played a solid role off the bench since making his season debut on Jan. 10, but he hasn’t contributed much in the box score. However, he was able to have his first double-digit scoring outing of the season in this game. Williams isn’t a player to consider rostering in most leagues at this time, and he has never been a strong option in fantasy basketball throughout his career. However, considering he missed 14 months due to a torn ACL, it was good to see him play this well.

Kalkbrenner was the more impactful center for Charlotte early in the year, but recently, Moussa Diabaté has been starting and far more productive. However, that wasn’t the case in this game. Diabaté played 28 minutes to Kalkbrenner’s 18, but he only finished with two points, nine rebounds and two assists, while Kalkbrenner came close to a double-double and made an impact as a shot blocker. Kalkbrenner is a difficult player to use a roster spot on at this time, but it is good to see that he can still be productive in a limited role from time to time.

Though Ball’s injury appears to be minor, fantasy managers should keep an eye on his playing time for the rest of the game and check to see if he shows up on the injury report ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Rockets.

Inclement weather, which prevented the Spurs from getting back to Texas after losing on Saturday in Charlotte until mid-afternoon Sunday, is the reason for the time change. Fantasy managers with Pelicans or Hornets on their rosters will need to set their lineups a few hours earlier than they may have planned.

Green is dealing with a sprained right thumb, but the probable tag suggests that he’ll be available on Monday. That said, he’s unlikely to get the minutes needed to affect fantasy basketball.

Facing countryman Victor Wembanyama, Diabaté held his own on Saturday. In addition to recording his third double-double in five games and 13th of the season, the Hornets’ forward/center’s six assists were a season-high. Rostered in 25 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Diabaté appears to have locked down the starting center job. Even with the Hornets playing three games in Week 16, now is the time to add Moussa if he’s sitting on the waiver wire.

While Ball didn’t have the best day shooting the basketball, including a 3-of-9 afternoon from inside the arc, his work as a playmaker helped the Hornets extend their win streak to six games. During the run, the Hornets’ point guard’s assist-to-turnover ratio has been excellent, with Ball recording 47 assists and 17 turnovers. He’s shooting just 36.5 percent from the field over the last two weeks, which has negatively affected Ball’s fantasy value. That said, fantasy managers should be encouraged by the decrease in turnovers.

Having totaled 24 points on 8-of-27 shooting in his three prior appearances, Sexton needed a day like Saturday to snap out of his mini-slump. The Hornets guard was a perfect 5-on-5 from beyond the arc, knocking down two within the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. With Charlotte’s perimeter starters being healthy, Sexton offers limited fantasy value. But he’s capable of providing a spark off the bench, which was the case on Saturday.

Miller and the Hornets have now won six consecutive games, the franchise’s longest win streak since March 2016. And he’s been on a roll recently, scoring at least 20 points in 10 straight games. Another impressive streak for Miller is that he’s made his last 38 free throws. Over the past two weeks, he has provided first-round per-game value in 12-team leagues. The Hornets play three games in Week 16, starting with the Pelicans on Monday.