Charles Lee explains LaMelo Ball’s overtime decision against the Bucks

After Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was given the green light to play to play in Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Charles Lee discussed limiting minutes for his starting point guard. Ball, who struggled with a right ankle injury during the regular season opener, did not play in overtime after the 147-134 loss.

Lee discussed the team’s plan with Ball thriving during his postgame media availability, according to Charlotte Hornets Reddit’ X, formerly Twitter.

“I’m just trying to be mindful of where his minutes are going moving forward. The plan they put in place — let’s make sure we keep him in a spot that maximizes how many games he can be available going forward,” Lee said. “We were a little limited on minutes tonight, and we’ll see how we continue to build on that as the season goes on.”

🎙 Charles Lee on not playing LaMelo Ball in OT:

“I’m just trying to keep an eye on how his minutes are going. The plan that they’ve put together — let’s make sure we keep him in a spot that maximizes how many games he can be available. We’ve had some minutes… pic.twitter.com/P1IthKHZdG

— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 15, 2025

LaMelo Ball finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting, 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 Knuepel, who, along with Myles 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 win by 13 points. Kyle Kuzme led Milwaukee with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals. All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting, 18 assists and seven rebounds, and Ryan Rollins added 20 points and eight rebounds.

Conn Knueppel dropped 32 points in the Hornets’ overtime loss

Hornets rookie Kon Knuepel scored a record 32 points in Friday’s loss to the Bucks. It was a homecoming for Knuepel as the Milwaukee native played in his first NBA game in his hometown after the Hornets hosted the Bucks in a 111-100 victory on Wednesday.

Knuppel’s well-balanced offense saw him connect on 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-9 from deep, as the fourth overall pick shot at a 40.2% clip from behind the 3-point arc. Knuepel 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 in 12 games.