After Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball got the green light to play to play in Friday's NBA Cup matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Charles Lee discussed a minutes restriction on his starting guard. Ball, who's been dealing with a right ankle injury throughout the beginning of the regular season, did not play in the overtime period of a 147-134 loss.
Lee discussed the team's plan with Ball moving forward during his postgame media availability, per Charlotte Hornets Reddit' X, formerly Twitter.
“Just trying to be mindful of where his minutes are going forward. The plan they put in place—let's make sure we keep him in a spot that'll maximize how many games he can be available for, going forward,” Lee said. “We had a little bit of a minutes restriction tonight, and we'll see how we keep building on that as the season goes on.”
🎙️ Charles Lee on not playing LaMelo Ball in OT:
"Just trying to be mindful of where his minutes are going forward. The plan they put in place—let's make sure we keep him in a spot that'll maximize how many games he can be available for. We had a little bit of a minutes… pic.twitter.com/P1YthKHZdG
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 15, 2025
LaMelo Ball finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 attempts, including 2-for-6 from deep, and 10 assists in 27 minutes for the Hornets on Friday. The limited action led to more looks for Kon Knueppel, who, alongside Miles Bridges, both led the Hornets with 32 points. Knueppel (12-for-20, 4-of-9 from deep) and Bridges (12-for-24, 6-of-15 from deep) combined for an impressive 24-for-44 from the floor, including 10-of-24 from three.
However, the Bucks dominated when it mattered most, outscoring the Hornets 18-5 in overtime to cruise to a 13-point win. Kyle Kuzma's 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals led the way for Milwaukee. All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting, 18 assists, and seven rebounds, and Ryan Rollins chipped in 20 points and eight boards.
Kon Knueppel drops 32 points in Hornets' OT loss
Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel scored a career-high 32 points in Friday's loss against the Bucks. It was a homecoming for Knueppel as the Milwaukee native played in his first NBA game in his hometown after the Honets hosted the Bucks in a 111-100 win on Wednesday.
Knueppel's well-balanced attack led to him connecting on 12-of-20, including 4-of-9 from deep, as the fourth overall pick is shooting at a 40.2% clip from behind the 3-point arc. Knueppel is off to a fantastic start to his NBA career, averaging 17.9 points on 46.8% shooting, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists through 12 games.
