The Charlotte Hornets hit the road to battle the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. The Hornets recently welcomed back all-star point guard LaMelo Ball from an ankle injury and the young star delivered a win over the Magic. In his second game back, however, he re-injured the ankle and is out yet again. The Cavs started the season as one of the hottest teams in the NBA thanks to offseason acquisition Donovan Mitchell but have now lost five straight games heading into this matchup. The opennig tap is scheduled for 7:30pm in Cleveland.
The NFL, College Football, College Basketball, the NHL, and the NBA…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the week is available for only $49.99 (normally $100) if you use this link. Don't miss out as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
Just when it appeared the Charlotte Hornets were getting healthier and getting the one player, LaMelo Ball, that can make their fast paced offense go, things fell apart quickly. The Hornets started out the season at 2-1 without Ball in the lineup as he recovered from an ankle injury from preseason. Then the team went just 1-10 over the next 11 games as they tried to play without Ball and his backcourt mate, Terry Rozier. Two games ago, Ball came back and, along with the recently returned Rozier, helped the Hornets end an eight-game losing streak. The Hornets then fell to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, 125-113. Literally adding injury to insult, Ball stepped on a fan's foot late in the game and limped off the floor, favoring his previously injured ankle. Ball finished the game with 26 points.
“He rolled it on a fan's foot is what I was told,” Clifford said. “Hopefully, it's not bad but I'm sure we won't know anything until tomorrow.”
?????? @PJWashington pic.twitter.com/CFL2vS0mLF
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) November 17, 2022
The Hornets have lost nine out of their last ten games and the re-injury to Ball's ankle will not do the team any favors. Offensively, the Hornets have struggled without Ball running the show. They are 23rd in scoring offense this season and are 27th in shooting overall and 27th in 3pt field goal percentage. They are also just 16th in assist to turnover with Ball out for the majority of the season.
Key Injuries: Ball (ankle) is out, Gordon Hayward (shoulder) and Cody Martin (knee) are out as well. Dennis Smith Jr. (ankle) day-to-day
No House Advantage: Bet on player over/unders VS THE HOUSE to 21x your bet OR play in PICK 'EM contests against other people! Click here to get a 1st deposit match up to $50 1st w/ promocode WandW!