LaMelo Ball breaks ankle, latest setback in rough season
CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — LaMelo Ball’s frustrating, injury-plagued season could be over after the point guard fractured his right ankle in Charlotte’s 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons Monday night.
Ball has already missed 27 games this season after spraining his left ankle three times from last season. He and the Hornets (20-43) played their best basketball of the season before the point guard fell on a touchless play in the third quarter.
X-rays showed the fracture to Ball’s ankle.
“It sucks,” said Hornets swingman Gordon Hayward, shaking his head. “Injuries are the worst part of the game”
Ball had come on with five straight double-doubles and was on his way to another with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists before leaving with 9:26 left at halftime.
He also shot the ball very well from deep, having made 47.3% (27 of 57) of his 3-pointers in the last five games. He was 6 of 7 from beyond the arc against the Pistons.
Charlotte’s five-game winning streak was the team’s longest of the season.
“We started figuring it out as a team,” Hayward said. “He and I started to build (chemistry). I think personally I started to develop a good relationship with him on the pitch and we found easy buckets for each other. We’ve been through some of that all year, I couldn’t build that up on the pitch because of various guys injured. Him at the start of the season, then me right after, and now it’s him again. It’s been back and forth with different people throughout the year, that’s tough.”
The ball had just dribbled behind his back and appeared to be preparing to edit a screen from center Mark Williams past the 3-point arc when it fell to the ground. He snatched the loose ball and passed to Williams, who found a teammate for a goal.
Ball was taken to the dressing room.
Hayward said the players thought he “tweaked something” as they didn’t know the extent of the injury until after the game.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford didn’t say how long Ball would be out. But given the severity of the injury and the fact that the Hornets have just 19 games left and aren’t fighting for the playoffs, it seems unlikely the team would push him back.
“The only thing you can do is watch the film, learn from it and then focus on what we have to do tomorrow in training to prepare for (the next game). Unfortunately, we’ve had experience playing without them all, so it’s not like it’s going to be brand new,” Clifford said. “It’s also difficult because he started playing so well and the team obviously played better and better. They won’t wait for us.”
Hayward said he texted Ball after the game but did not speak to him.
“I think that’s the most important thing when you’re injured — stay positive and have a good support system around you, including your teammates, family and friends,” said Hayward, who fractured an ankle from an awkward landing in 2017 when he played for Boston. “He’s young and will recover, but it’s always difficult at the moment.”
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