LaMelo Ball outshined Tyrese Haliburton when it mattered most in the Charlotte Hornets' 125-124 win over the Indiana Pacers. Haliburton did drop 43 points and 12 assists compared to Ball's 11 points and 11 assists, but Ball had a defensive stop on the Pacers point guard to seal the game in the closing seconds.

Ball was the target after getting switched onto Haliburton, but the Hornets guard thankfully delivered with what might be his best highlight so far early in the season, poking the ball loose to end a three-game losing streak. Ball's teammates want to see more of these kinds of plays.

Gordon Hayward wants more of a defensive-minded LaMelo Ball

“It shows that he's capable, right? He should be doing it a lot more,” Gordon Hayward said about LaMelo Ball.

This is spot on. Once you reveal that you are capable of holding your own against one of the better perimeter threats in the NBA, that should become the new norm. Defense is often about effort, and Ball isn't exactly known for much on that side of the ball. Outside of playing passing lanes and gambling, this might be one of the better defensive stops of the young Hornets star's career.

Hayward cashed in best game of season for Hornets

Outside of the defensive heroics, Hayward scored 23 points and was a potent weapon for Charlotte all night, which was a big help after Terry Rozier left with an injury. Despite not scoring a single point in the first quarter, he shot an efficient 58% from the field and had a few big defensive plays of his own, coming away with two of the Hornets' 10 blocks on the night.