LaMelo Ball is on track to play in his team's only trip to face the defending champions. The Charlotte Hornets star is officially listed as probable to play in Tuesday's road tilt with the Golden State Warriors after tweaking his right shoulder in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers less than 24 hours ago.
Ball was holding his shoulder in obvious discomfort before fouling out late in the Hornets' 124-113 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. He scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds and doled out seven assists in 36 minutes, shooting 10-of-26 overall while struggling from two-point range.
The third-year playmaker has now drained at least four three-pointers in his last seven games, an especially impressive feat considering he'd previously been sidelined for nearly a month due to a left ankle sprain. Ball has been stellar since returning to the lineup, averaging 25.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. The Hornets are just 2-5 over that stretch, however, struggling defensively coach Steve Clifford's pointed recent criticism of Charlotte's effort on that end of the floor.
Despite Ball's optimistic official status for Tuesday's game, it still wouldn't shock if he sat out against the short-handed Warriors, who are still without both Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. The Hornets are playing on a back-to-back, and considering all the time LaMelo Ball has already missed due to injury this season, could very well decide to take a cautious approach with his latest malady.
Charlotte and Golden State tipoff at 7:00 p.m. (PST) from Chase Center.
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