LaMelo

Ball

While Ball shot more efficiently from the field on Friday than he did in Wednesday’s win, the end result was a blowout, season-ending loss. He scored well from beyond the arc and concluded as the only Hornets player to reach the 20-point mark. Additionally, Ball was Charlotte’s only player with more than two assists. The sixth-year guard’s scoring numbers took a hit this year as his minutes decreased. Yet, he logged 72 regular-season games and proved he could stay healthy. Ball should be in line for a similarly productive 2026-27 season from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

The foul has also been upgraded to a flagrant, but the main takeaway here is that LaMelo will be available for Friday’s play-in matchup with the Magic. That will be another win-or-go-home game for them, so having their star point guard serving a suspension would’ve put them at a massive disadvantage. That won’t be the case, which will give them a chance to return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Ball went down in the second quarter and appeared to make contact with Adebayo’s ankle. Adebayo took a hard fall that sent him to the locker room and caused him to miss the rest of the game. The NBA will review the footage to determine if Ball’s contact was intentional, and Haynes reports that a ruling is expected before Friday’s Play-In game.

Ball struggled from the field on Tuesday but made the shot that counted the most. Down by one point with under nine seconds to play, he caught the ball at the top of the arc, drove right, and finished a contested layup to give the Hornets the lead and ultimately the win. Ball had missed 19 of his 30 shot attempts prior to the go-ahead bucket that will keep Charlotte’s season alive. The sixth-year point guard tallied double-digit assists to go along with his 30 points. He’ll have a chance to record another double-double in the final elimination game on Friday, when they face the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia-Orlando matchup.

Ball finished Sunday’s victory with a complete stat line, but the efficiency was somewhat lacking. A 5-of-16 night from beyond the arc lowered the overall field-goal percentage, and he was also responsible for five turnovers. However, Ball has made strides in his efficiency this season, which is one reason the Hornets managed to qualify for the Play-In Tournament. They’ll need to win two games to reach the playoffs, starting with the Heat on Wednesday.

Ball continues to have great fantasy stats, but he didn’t have a great game against the Pistons on Friday. The 24-year-old point guard needed 20 attempts to get his 27 points and had four turnovers. As the starting point guard, he certainly had a hand in the Hornets scoring just 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Pistons pulled away. Charlotte will close out the season against the Knicks on Sunday.

Ball followed up his 35-point performance in Sunday’s win over the Timberwolves with 36 points against the Celtics, though the Hornets weren’t fortunate enough to win this time. The 24-year-old point guard has been as advertised this year. There were great highs and lows, but in the end Ball stayed healthy and provided fourth-round per game value over the course of the season. That’s a win for his fantasy managers this year.

Ball had two 30-point games in the entire month of March and wasted no time by dropping 35 points in his third game in April. The 24-year-old point guard caught fire from downtown as he made 7-of-14 attempts from behind the three-point line. Ball has provided fifth-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Hornets have three games in the final week of the regular season, starting with a matchup against the Celtics on Tuesday.

Ball’s point total may not have been as high as many fantasy managers have grown accustomed to, but he had one of his best floor games of the season on Thursday. In addition to racking up 11 assists, the Hornets point guard did not commit a turnover. This was Ball’s first game of the season in which he reached double figures in assists without committing a turnover. His efficiency has improved since the All-Star break, a big reason the Hornets have locked up a spot in the Play-In tournament and can still finish in the top-6 of the East.

Ball had an opportunity to tie Saturday’s game in the final seconds, but his three-point attempt fell short of the mark. The Hornets’ point guard did not shoot the ball well, but the good news was that he kept the turnovers in check, which was not always the case in the past. Ball committed just two turnovers against the 76ers, and the assists and three-pointers were certainly useful to fantasy managers. Ball will look to clean up the shooting when the Hornets host the Celtics on Sunday.