Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball put together the most impressive outing of his young career Saturday. Ball scorched the Milwaukee Bucks with a career-high 50 points to go with 10 assists and five rebounds in a narrow 125-119 loss on the road.
Ball shot 17-of-37 from the field, 6-of-17 from the 3-point line and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line.
“Listen, he made tough shots. We live with some of those,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s going to take the shots, regardless. And you know that. Listen, 17-for-37, I’m fine with our defense on Melo. Every night I’m taking that. It was the drives that I didn’t like.”
Saturday marked the first time Ball eclipsed 40 points or more in a game. His previous career high was 38 points, a mark Ball first hit in a 113-107 loss to the Boston Celtics during the 2021-22 season. Ball scored 38 points earlier this season in a 107-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 10. Ball, who scored 40 of his 50 points in the second half, was hot throughout the game but helped the Hornets climb back, particularly in the fourth quarter. He scored 22 points in the third quarter alone before adding 18 in the fourth quarter.
It was a historic night for @MELOD1P!
🔥 Career-high 50 PTS (40 in 2H)
🔥 10 ASTThe 1st player in Hornets history to have 50+ PTS and 10+ AST in a game. pic.twitter.com/074N2USqvm
— NBA (@NBA) November 24, 2024
“I mean he just plays free,” Bucks guard Damian Lillard said of Ball. “He’s got the ultra-green light, he can take any shot, he can do anything at any time and that’s a tough thing to handle. … He has the ability to shoot from deep.
“He started to see the ball go in and from that point, anything can happen so it didn’t surprise me.”
Ball has gotten off to an impressive start this season. Entering Saturday, he’s averaged 28.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game on 42 percent shooting and 35 percent from 3. Ball has been streaky as of late. He scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out nine assists in a 123-121 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. In two of the three games prior, Ball dropped 30-plus points (31 points at Cleveland on Nov. 17 and 35 points at Orlando on Nov. 12).
The 23-year-old finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the same Bucks team in a 115-114 win on Nov. 16.
(Photo: Michael McLoone / Imagn Images)
