The Charlotte Hornets’ matchup tonight against the Toronto Raptors took a sudden turn when LaMelo Ball exited the game, heading to the locker room in the third quarter. It immediately raised concern for the 24-year-old point guard, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career.

“LaMelo Ball left tonight’s Charlotte Hornets game against the Toronto Raptors with left ankle soreness and is out for the rest of the game,” veteran reporter Michael Scotto wrote on X. It confirmed that the team’s floor general is dealing with an ankle injury. However, the extent of it remains uncertain.

The sequence occurred in the third quarter, with 9:48 left. Brandon Ingram outlet-passed the ball to Jamal Shead on the Hornets’ side of the court. Ball moved over to defend him, but appeared to slide, putting intense pressure on his right ankle. He got up, but had to be helped off the court by team officials.

Before exiting, Ball delivered a steady performance. In 12 minutes, he recorded 11 points on 4-9 shooting, along with three assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

This is a huge blow for Ball, who had previously missed five games with an ankle impingement earlier this season, and has struggled with various ankle injuries throughout his career. In 2023, he suffered a right ankle fracture causing him to play just 22 games in the 2023-24 season, and dealt with a variety of issues with his left ankle the following season, suiting up for 40 games.

In his career, Ball has played over 51 games just once, and has logged two seasons under 36 games. Now, the Hornets‘ trio of him, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel has played just six of the team’s 23 games together, and makes a proper evaluation of their core nearly impossible.

With their game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday looming and the team already missing several backcourt pieces, head coach Charles Lee will have to make big adjustments.

Charlotte Hornets’ Young Core Closes It Against Toronto Raptors Without LaMelo Ball

After two straight losses and missing key backcourt depth, the Charlotte Hornets took another brutal hit with LaMelo Ball being forced to exit in the third quarter. And early on, it looked like the offensive issues that have plagued them surfaced again. The team was stuck under 20 first-quarter points, but suddenly, everything turned around.

The Hornets exploded in the second quarter: 35 points, flipping the deficit to 11 in their advantage at the half, and continuing a trend which has them averaging 33.8 second quarter points over their last five games, leading the NBA across this stretch.

In the final quarter, the young faces on the roster closed it out. A 31-10 fourth-quarter run led by Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaun, including a career-high 21 including 13 in the fourth from the sophomore forward, marking his third-straight double-digit scoring game since his return from a G-League assignment. Knueppel added eight of his own in the final frame, and the game quickly spiraled out of reach for the opposing Raptors.

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Now, despite Ball missing, there is some hope that the youth that won the game today will still look promising against the contending Denver Nuggets.