Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball is not the type to dwell on his mistakes and always looks to bounce back from them as quickly as he can. That was on full display against the Phoenix Suns. After messing up a defensive coverage at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Wednesday, the 19-year-old phenom made sure to make up for it in a big way by executing a highlight alley-oop play for his team just seconds later.
Melo failed to run back fast enough on defense, allowing Suns superstar Devin Booker an easy fast-break jam with under four minutes left in regulation. He quickly inbounded the ball and ran back on offense to survey the field.
It didn't take long for Ball to locate his favorite target, a cutting Miles Bridges underneath the basket. The result? Another highlight alley-oop play courtesy of “AirBnB”.
LaMelo Ball pushes the ball after a made basket and finds Miles Bridges for the oop #AirBnB #Hornets pic.twitter.com/XWzd4Ovm4h
— Ballin' Ain't a Hobby Podcast (@AintAHobby) February 25, 2021
That heads-up play from LaMelo allowed the Hornets to regain a two-point advantage just five seconds after Book evened up the score. The Hornets rode that momentum for the remaining minutes of regulation, running away with an impressive 124-121 road win to improve to 15-16.
Ball once again proved why he'll likely take home the Rookie of the Year honors by season's end, pitching in 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from deep along with eight assists, four boards, and two steals in 30 minutes of play.
The Hornets playmaker is one of the youngest players in the league right now, but he's looking more and more like a grizzled vet with each passing game.
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