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Hornets Make Decision on LaMelo Ball’s Status vs Philadelphia 76ers

The Hornets will be shorthanded against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Justin Grasso

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Caleb Martin (16) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Caleb Martin (16) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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The Philadelphia 76ers are going to face a Charlotte Hornets team without its top star for the second time this season.

According to the Hornets’ injury report, LaMelo Ball has been ruled out for Friday’s matchup at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly.

The Hornets described Ball’s reason for the absence as left calf injury management. The absence comes after Ball appeared in Charlotte’s last two games.

Earlier this week, the Sixers paid a visit to the Hornets to open up the week. Ball was upgraded to questionable on the injury report after missing multiple weeks of action due to a calf injury.

Ball was cleared for action against the Sixers, but played on a minutes restriction. He saw the court for just 26 minutes. During that time, Ball put up 15 shots from the field with eight of his attempts coming from beyond the arc. Shooting 33 percent from the field, Ball produced 15 points. He had a double-double as he dished out 11 assists as well.

Despite the return of Ball happening against the Sixers, the Hornets didn’t get the boost they hoped for. The Sixers took care of business on the road and picked up a 13-point win. On Thursday, the Hornets paid a visit to the Washington Wizards to open a back-to-back set. Ball spent 33 minutes on the court, producing 34 points and 13 assists in the nine-point Charlotte loss.

On Friday, the Sixers and the Hornets will wrap up their regular season series. The Sixers have won all three games against the Hornets so far. Unfortunately for Charlotte, they will enter the game shorthanded.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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