LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier help Hornets inch closer to play-in game in win over Magic
As the bodies keep piling up on the sideline this season for Charlotte, LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier stood tall on Friday night. Neither was 100%, but neither one stopped grinding away.
The end result was 55 combined points from the pair and a vital victory for the Hornets as their magic number to clinch a spot in the play-in game moved to just one with a 122-112 result over the Magic.
“(Rozier), that’s like by blood brother for real,” Ball said. “We’re always together. That’s my ride or die. He’s going to be out there. I’m going to be out there for him. We’re both just trying to help this team win.”
Ball was favoring his right wrist – the one he fractured in late March – throughout the first half. Rozier landed on Mo Bamba’s foot and sprained his ankle. Ball kept his wrist warm on the sideline, Rozier tightened his shoelaces and both buckled down.
The pair helped the Hornets overcome a slow first half, Ball scoring 18 points in the second half and Rozier scoring 13 in the fourth quarter, to help Charlotte keep the lingering Pacers and Wizards at bay.
“Pretty much just locking into the game plan,” Ball said of the difference in the second half. “We knew we had to tighten up on the defense in the second half. We all just knew to come out and tighten up on the defense. We definitely knew we had to bounce from the last game last night. I think we did that and got the win.”
Charlotte headed into the locker room trailing 62-60 with the first half resembling the frustrating loss against the Bulls on Thursday. But Ball came out of the locker room refocused, getting to the rim relentlessly to overcome a poor night shooting the ball from the outside.
“I just played my game,” he said. “My shot was a little off, so I knew I had to get to the rim. So, just tried to do that.”
In the second half, four of Ball’s six misses were beyond the arc and all of his makes came at the rim. He did not make a jump shot on the night with a few floaters being the only non-layups or free throws in his 27 points.
“He knows we’re trying to get to the rim,” head coach James Borrego said. “We need him at the rim. That’s really his strength for us. Not only to finish, but to kick it. He made a big kick there at the end that gave Jalen that three in the corner. Just getting downhill and kicking it.
“Obviously, he got to the rim and made some shots, got to the free throw line. I thought he was big tonight. He looked much more comfortable out there tonight and it just built off his aggressiveness to the rim.”
Ball’s play on Thursday was a microcosm of the struggles of the team as a whole as he finished 1-for-10 with four points in the 21-point loss. On Friday, he showed another aspect of his game that is rare for rookies in his consistency with a bounceback game.
“I think a lot of rookies are falling apart this time of year,” Borrego said. “And maybe because he was injured there for a while he’s fresh now, but his consistency is one of his strengths. If he has an off night, he finds a way to come back and respond every single time. He’s a resilient kid – he’s a tough kid, he’s a proud kid, he’s a competitive kid. All of that equals a very good player.
“I was proud of him tonight. I thought he was very good. We’re challenging him on both ends of the floor and I thought his overall game, not just his offense, but his defense was there tonight as well.”
Once Ball faded in the fourth quarter, Rozier took over. The pair combined to score or assist on the final 12 points for the Hornets as they a depleted Hornets team over the finish line.
“Definitely had to bounce back,” Ball said. “I feel like (there was) growth. We took a little step forward. We knew we had to win this one tonight and that’s what we did. I’m proud of everybody.”
List
Hornets vs. Magic Reactions: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball
