LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets finished their homestand with a perfect 3-0 record after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in two games, 103-99.
Playing Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and the Bucks in back-to-back games isn't fun for anybody, but the Hornets got the job done as a unit. Ball was the hero of the game after hitting a huge shot to put this game out of reach, all despite having a rough first half. He got the matchup he wanted for an iso and hit his off balance signature floater to sink the Bucks.
As difficult as a shot as it might've been, it's just a normal day at the office for Ball.
“I've been doing that my whole life,” Ball said about his floater. “Going left, right, forwards, backwards, anywhere. I felt like it was a good shot, so I took it.”
LAMELO BALL 🥶 pic.twitter.com/OoaFAlGI3m
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 11, 2022
If you couldn't tell by now, the kid is confident. In the span of his career, he already seems to respond well in crunch time. It certainly helps when your teammates and coaches believe in you and whatever decision you make. Hornets tactician James Borrego had nothing but good things to say about his young superstar:
“Melo can be the scorer or the playmaker involved in the action. In this instance, there was an action to go somewhere else, but that didn't work out and he made a play with the secondary look to get downhill and score. That's the beauty of Melo, he can be the playmaker or the creator to go score on his own. We need the ball in his hands. He's a special kid who's not afraid of the moment,” Borrego shared.
LaMelo Ball's impact on the game is needed for this Hornets team to win against the top dogs in the league. It also helps when you have Terry Rozier sharing a backcourt with Ball. Scary Terry had 27 points on Monday night. Despite his big night, he tipped his hat to his point guard as well on his huge shot.
“I believe in him. We both make plays down the stretch. I could have went one on one, but that shows I trust him. He's a playmaker, he can do whatever he wants and he made a play at the end,” Rozier shared.
The respect between this backcourt will take the Hornets in the long run. They can also use these wins against the Bucks as fuel moving forward for the rest of the season. Beating the defending champs twice is huge for a young team's confidence. Now, they just need to build off of these victories.
If they take away the right lessons and move forward without getting too hyped up, they should be in good shape. This is the regular season and the Hornets should use it as a way of getting ready for what's ahead. Of course, it has to be cool to have bragging rights over the Greek Freak and the defending champs.
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