There were some scary scenes on Thursday night for Charlotte Hornets fans after seeing LaMelo Ball being helped off the court during their game against the Houston Rockets. Hornets teammate PJ Washington landed on Ball's left ankle and it looked like a nasty freak injury that was going to leave the All-Star point guard sidelined for a lengthy period yet again.

Hornets supporters can now breathe a sigh of relief after it was reported that Ball is doubtful to play on Saturday against the Hawks. This is pretty much the best-case scenario for LaMelo, who appears to have dodged a major bullet here. The injury was initially diagnosed as an ankle sprain, but the Hornets have now labeled it as ankle soreness. There's obviously no structural damage on the ankle, and Ball should be back in the mix sooner rather than later. Even if he ends up sitting out Saturday's contest, it shouldn't be long before he returns to action.

It is worth noting, however, that LaMelo Ball is also dealing with a sore left wrist — an injury that he also sustained during Friday's contest. The 21-year-old is pretty banged up right now, and it's not surprising that there has been talk about the Hornets potentially shutting down their star for the remainder of the season. After all, it's not as if Charlotte is playing for anything right now. In fact, losing will actually help their cause in terms of bettering their odds for the Victor Wembanyama tank race.