Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball's Updated Injury Status For Tonight's Game

The Hawks and the Hornets just released their injury report ahead of tonight's matchup

Oct 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) passes the ball past Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets are facing off tonight, but the Hornets are going to be doing so without their best player. It was announced today that LaMelo Ball is going to be out for two weeks for the Hornets due to a left calf strain and will not play in tonight's game vs Atlanta.

Hornets' LaMelo Ball will be re-evaluated in two weeks with a left calf strain.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 30, 2024

This is huge news for the game tonight, as Ball has been one of the best players in the league and is the second leading scorer in the NBA right now, averaging 31.1 PPG.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 17th in FG%, 18th in 3PA, 17th in 3P%, 6th in FTA, 25th in turnovers, and 8th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 18th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 20th in turnover percentage, 8th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 19th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 20th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 26th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Hornets come into tonight's game 26th in PPG, 30th in FG%, 2nd in 3PA, 15th in 3P%, 30th in FTA, 5th in rebounding, and 22nd in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 25th in points per 100 possessions, 25th in effective field goal percentage, 27th in turnover percent, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 30th in free throw rate.

Defensively, Charlotte is much better than they have been in recent years and first-time head coach Charles Lee should get a lot of credit for that. The Hornets rank 14th in PPG allowed, 16th in FG% allowed, 15th in 3PA allowed, and 15th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 18th in effective field goal percentage.

Trae Young has been playing really well and had two great games against the Cavs. He finished with 21 points on 7-12 shooting and also had 11 assists. He has been the facilitator of the offense and had a great performance in the Hawks's earlier matchup in the year with Charlotte.

Zaccharie Risacher starts games for the Hawks and typically plays around 15-20 minutes. He finished with 11 points in yesterday's win vs Cleveland and made impact defensive plays. He is still finding his rhythm shooting the ball, but he does a lot of little things right.

Jalen Johnson racked up another impressive game yesterday. He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 9-14 shooting and he is playing better and better with each game.

The Hawks centers have been inconsistent this year, but turned in two good games from Clint Capela (eight points and 13 rebounds) and Onyeka Okongwu (15 points and seven rebounds). Charlotte is a good rebounding team and both Capela and Okongwu have to limit Charlotte on the glass, as the Hornets are one of the better rebounding teams in the league.

The bench for the Hawks was been the biggest reason they beat the Cavs. De'Andre Hunter is playing great basketball and the Hawks are undefeated when he scores more than 20 points. He finished with 23 points on Friday and was 4-7 from three. Hunter is one of the most important players on the Hawks and when he is shooting the ball well, the Hawks are tough to beat.

Bogdan Bogdanovic did not have his best game yesterday, but he is playing well over the past week, as has Kobe Bufkin. If the Hawks can find a way to get consistency from Bufkin in his minutes, that will also make them more formidable down the stretch.

Additional Links

Hawks vs Hornets: Game Preview, Injury Report, Betting Odds, Projected Starting Lineups For Today's Game

Hawks Clinch Spot in NBA Cup As the Winners of Group C in Eastern Conference