All Hornets

LaMelo Ball joins elite company with marvelous season-opening performance

The Charlotte Hornets point guard showed zero rust in the first game of the season.

Schuyler Callihan

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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It wasn't pretty, but the Charlotte Hornets scratched and clawed their way to a 110-105 victory over the Houston Rockets on opening night and a big reason they were able to leave H-Town happy was because of the performance that LaMelo Ball provided.

The Hornets PR team identified just how special of a night LaMelo had as he becomes just the 11th player in NBA history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and ten assists in a season opener.

The others on that list are Oscar Robertson, James Harden, John Havlicek, Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway, Sam Cassell, Rajon Rondo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic.

Ball finished the night with 34 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds while shooting 10-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-12 from three-point land.

"Just out here trying to win," Ball said in his postgame interview with FanDuel Sports Network. "Being back out here on the floor with the guys, just trying to get this first dub and that's what we did. Coach Lee at halftime, he said keep fighting, come out strong, and we got to compete. The main thing was competing and that's what we did. It definitely sets the tone. You don't want to lose."

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

schuylercallihan(at)gmail.com  Twitter:@Callihan_ Schuyler Callihan is the lead publisher of Mountaineers Now, All Panthers, and All Hornets on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. He took over publishing duties of All Panthers in 2020 and wanted to expand his professional coverage in the Queen City by running the operations at All Hornets. Schuyler attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia before finishing up his schooling at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina. The Wheeling, West Virginia native made the move to North Carolina in 2015 and has been in Charlotte since 2021.

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