LaMelo Ball’s unprecedented feat was lost in the loss to the Pacers
LaMelo Ball came off the bench for Charlotte Hornets against the Indiana Pacers at the Spectrum Center on Thursday, and it almost paid dividends.
The Hornets fell against the Pacers114-112, despite Ball’s productive night. He finished with a game-high 33 points, including seven 3-pointers, along with three rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 27 minutes.
According to StatMuse, Ball became the first player in NBA history register those numbers from the bench.
The 24-year-old Ball did not start for the first time since the first season in 2021. He was replaced in the first five by Colin Sexton, who had 11 points, five assists and two steals.
The Hornets were playing on the second night of back-to-back games and were looking to take it cautious approach with an often sidelined guard. It almost worked, as Ball injected instant energy when he entered the game and carried it through the rest of the contest.
Bol played only 105 games in the previous three seasons due to various injuries.
“When they face back-to-backs, the team and LaMelo are trying to get creative and want to maximize his availability, league sources told @theobserver. So LaMelo may not start at both ends of back-to-back games, so he may be more available in the fourth quarter, I’m told,” Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer reported.
When facing each other, the team and LaMelo are trying to get creative and want to maximize his availability, league sources said @theobserver.
So LaMelo might not start at both ends of back-to-back games so he can be more available in the fourth quarter, I’m told. https://t.co/MlMiIv5JHv
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) January 8, 2026
The Pacers clinched the victory thanks to two free throws by Ben Shepard with eight seconds left.
The Hornets still had a chance to steal the win, but Sexton’s 17-foot jumper missed as time expired. They fell to 13-25, absorbing back-to-back losses.
Charlotte will play against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
2026-01-09 03:23:00
