Two of the pip teams inward the NBA met on Wed dark when the 10-win Houston Rockets hosted the 11-win Charlotte Hornets. Although the Hornets thwarted the Rockets past fivesome points, 122-117, they lost starting spot safety LaMelo Lucille Ball to another ankle injury.
Ball collided with mate PJ Booker Taliaferro Washington early inward the thirdly quarter, spraining his left articulatio talocruralis for a 3rd clip this season. He needful assistance off the court.
Despite losing Ball, the Hornets ended a five-game losing streak and improved to 12-34 on the season. The Hornets covered the point in time overspread as -3 route favorites, but they’re unity of the worst betting teams in the NBA this season, with a 19-25-2 track record against the spread.
After losing to the Hornets, the Rockets are at present 10-35 and hold the whip boilers suit record book inwards the NBA. They’re also inwards cobbler's last set inward the Western Conference.
Buzz City Bottom Feeders
The Hornets are inward 14th come out come out of 15 teams inwards the Eastern Conference. Only the Motor City Pistons have a worse record at 12-35. The Hornets are 22 games slow the first-place capital of Massachusetts Celtics. The Hornets are also far endorse inwards the race for the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, tracking the 10th-place Windy City Bulls by nine games.
The Hornets remain in utmost position inward the southeastern United States Division. The Miami Heat (25-21) have got a 13-game pencil lead o'er the Hornets inward the division, and the Heat hold more than twice as many victories (25) as the Hornets (12). The Hornets hold astronomical betting odds as +100000 long shots to win the Southeast.
The Hornets are one of five teams at the bottom of the inning of DraftKings’ NBA futures board. They’re +100000 betting odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship, on with the Rockets, Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Orlando Magic.
The Hornets put up improve their chances to win the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes inwards the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery as ane of the three rack up teams inwards the NBA this season. If the Hornets want to defend their blob at the undersurface of the standings, then they’ll swop forth a few starters leading upwardly to the merchandise deadline on Feb 9.
Guard Kelly Oubre, forrard Gordon Hayward, safety device Dame Alice Ellen Terry Rozier, heart James Neville Mason Plumlee, and forrard Jalen McDaniels have all been mentioned inward swap rumors.
If the Hornets mesh inward a flaming sales agreement prior to the swap deadline, they’ll gut the squad but stay fresh Ball. With Ball as the centerpiece, the Hornets testament assay to reconstruct around him next season.
Ball Played inward Only 22 Games this Season
The Hornets have been ravaged with injuries this season, including Lucille Ball (ankle), Oubre (hand), and Hayward (shoulder). Ball had an unfortunate person flavour and testament now capture sidelined for a third clip with an mortise joint injury.
During a preseason game, Ball sprained his left wing ankle and missed the number 1 13 games of the season with his firstly injury.
In mid-November, Ball appeared inward simply ternion games before he sprained the same left ankle. He stepped on a devotee sitting in the forepart row at courtside while chasing a open formal against the Indiana Pacers. The endorsement mortise joint hurt knocked Lucille Ball come out for 11 games.
Ball returned to the Hornets inwards mid-December. He looked spectacular inwards the final 10 games of the month by averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game. He also barb 39.1% from 3-point range.
Ball appeared inward only when 19 games before he sustained a tertiary articulatio talocruralis injury. While playing the Rockets inward Samuel Houston on Midweek night, teammate PJ Evergreen State stepped on Ball’s left wing ankle, which he sprained in Oct and once again in November.
Overall, Lucille Ball appeared in 22 games this season. He’s averaging a career-high 23.5 points and 8.2 assists per game.
Ball is listed as day-to-day on the hurt report. But local trounce reporters conceive he’ll miss a couple on of weeks. Since the Hornets aren’t fighting for a pick out in the playoffs, it would spend a penny sense to closed him knock down through and through All-Star Weekend, which would provide him with four-plus weeks to recover.
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