Hornets, Fan Favorite Ball, Lose a Heartbreaker

LiAngelo Ball’s dream to play with his younger brother LaMelo on the Charlotte Hornets continues. He came off the bench Saturday scoring eight points in a loss to the Toronto Raptors, 80-79 at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Ball went 3-of-8 from the field, with two 3-pointers, one steal and one rebound in 17 minutes of play. So far, the Hornets have lost all four of their summer league games.

For the second consecutive game, Ball score eight points after starting off the summer league with 16-on-10 shot attempts in his debut. He was still able to make a significant contribution to the team by contesting the Raptors rookie sensation Scottie Barnes’ shot and forcing him to shoot an air ball.

Barnes played an impressive 30 minutes. He and his teammate Precious Achiuwa were able to dominate the front court. Achiuwa came from the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade scenario for Kyle Lowry.

Achiuwa connected on 8-of-14 shots, scoring 18 points and collecting 6 rebounds in the victory. Barnes made the play of the game with a huge dunk, squaring the game at 79 with twenty seconds remaining in regulation.

Dalano Banton, who scored 7 points in the contest, made a crucial defensive play, stealing the ball on the inbound pass and he was fouled. After missing the first free throw attempt, Banton was able to relax and make the second free throw to salt the game away.

Xavier Sneed missed two free throws for Charlotte with a second remaining.

The leading scorer for the Hornets was James Bouknight with 14 points in 31 minutes of playing time. He connected on 75% of his 3-point attempts. Bouknight was able to get his teammates involved with 5 assists. He contributed on the defensive end of the floor with two steals.

Kai Jones, the No. 19 overall pick, nearly had a double-double with 9 points and 16 rebounds. Scottie Lewis scored 10 points, along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal.

The Charlotte Hornets continue their summer league against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, August 16, at 10:00 p.m. ET.