Why is LaMelo Ball not playing New York Knicks? Latest on Hornets guard's injury (Nov. 29)

The Charlotte Hornets have officially ruled out LaMelo Ball for Friday's game against the New York Knicks. Following a hard-fought matchup against the Miami Heat, the Hornets returned to the court to face another strong squad, but this time, they wouldn't have their best player available.

Ball was included in a lengthy injury report ahead of this game, as Miles Bridges, DaQuan Jeffries, Tre Mann, Nick Richards, Grant Williams (out for the season) and Mark Williams won't be available for this duel.

LaMelo Ball is one of the best scorers in the NBA this season (31.1 points per game, dropping 35, 50, 44 and 32 points, respectively, in his last four outings). Losing him is always a big blow for Charlotte, especially against a squad like the Knicks. They boast a 0-2 record in the 2024 NBA Cup and another loss would officially end their chances to advance to the knockout round.

Injuries have been a constant issue for Ball during his NBA career. He's confirmed that he belongs to the association and has taken his game to a new level this season, but if injuries start bothering him, the Hornets will have a hard time trying to compete in the East.

Hornets coach explains what happened to LaMelo Ball

Ahead of the Knicks game, Hornets coach Charles Lee explained what happened to LaMelo Ball. The coach explained that he felt something as the clock ran out of time for the Hornets against the Heat.

"I think he just felt something towards the end of the game, trying to get open on that last play of the game, he just felt a little something. With the holidays yesterday and early tip today, we haven't had a ton of time to evaluate him and stuff, so we're going to continue to continue to do that, but it's an unfortunate situation, but we'll get it under control and report something later."

After the Knicks matchup, the Hornets and fans will have a clearer picture of Ball's situation. Charlotte has won only one of its last matchups, beating the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 21 coming off a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. After that, they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, although LaMelo Ball went off in each of those games.

They'll play tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.