Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball returned to action on Thursday night and led the Hornets to a 133-126 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Ball, who missed the past three games due to a left ankle bone bruise, got off to a blazing hot start in the first half. He scored 21 points in 16 minutes, including a 7/9 start from 3-point range. He also dished out eight assists.
Ball finished with 28 points on 10/16 shooting, including a season-high eight 3-pointers. He added four rebounds and a team-high 13 assists.
It’s been an uneven start to the season so far for Ball, who’s already missed 10 of the Hornets’ 27 games. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists per night, while shooting 39.9% from the field and 31.8% from deep.
Thursday night’s performance comes at a convenient time for Ball. He’s been mentioned in trade rumors during his frequent absences from the Hornets’ lineup.
The Hornets scored 80 points in the first half, its second-highest output in a half this season. Charlotte lit up the Hawks from long range, making 24/49 (49%) from distance in the game. Guard Kon Knueppel scored 28 points and made eight threes of his own, while forward Brandon Miller added 26 points with four made threes.
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson did his best lead his team to a comeback win, scoring 43 points on 16/27 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Hornets (9-18) have won back-to-back games for just the second time this season.