Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball may be a rookie, but he has watched a lot of NBA action to know the funny on-court antics of the veteran players.

On Wednesday, in the closing seconds of their blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks, LaMelo avoided getting a turnover by passing the ball to his fellow young teammate Jalen McDaniels.

With the shot clock ahead of the remaining time by three seconds and the game already out of reach, there was no need for the Hornets to shoot the ball (which is also common courtesy in contests with huge margin). Ball, however, made sure he was not the last one holding the ball to get that unwanted tally on the stat sheet.

 

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LaMelo Ball was obviously ecstatic to victimize his second-year Hornets teammate, as he quickly got away from McDaniels with a smile from ear to ear.

For what it's worth, Melo has every reason to smile after his terrific performance off the bench for the surging Hornets. Not only did Charlotte beat the Mavs 118-99, but Ball also exploded for a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. The youngest of the Ball brothers also shot 7-of-10 overall (4-of-5 from distance), while only recording two turnovers.

As for the Mavs, Luka Doncic and Co. struggled mightily against Charlotte, with the Slovenian wonderboy finishing with only 12 points, two rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes of action.