Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Fifty-two minutes were on the clock as more fans began trickling into Spectrum Center, arriving early enough to watch the warmups.
LaMelo Ball occupied the Charlotte Hornets’ end of the specialized court, utilized when the team dons the City Edition uniforms with the Hoopers Paradise theme. Normally, the sight of Ball in his usual slot, working out with assistant coach Lamar Skeeter, wouldn’t be a big deal.
But considering the Hornets’ matchup with Toronto came on the tail end of a back-to-back and represented their third game in four nights sandwiched around Thanksgiving, it was beyond noteworthy. Ball, despite the minutes restriction that’s shackled him somewhat following his return from nursing a right ankle impingement, was joining Brandon Miller in the starting lineup Saturday night.
“Definitely another positive step for those two guys being able to play in a back-to-back,” coach Charles Lee said. “With that, though, comes me still being mindful of not pushing it too far as we enter that next tier of their return-to-play programs. I’m excited for them, I know they’ve been working really hard, and they’ve been responding well to the minutes that we’ve been able to give them so far. … They definitely help our team in a lot of different ways.”
Maybe their internal body clocks hit the snooze button more than once then, given this was a rarity in a sense. Ball and Miller went scoreless in the first quarter and the Hornets found themselves in an early hole, but they dug in and gutted out a 118-111 win over the Raptors in overtime.
Combined, the Hornets’ starting backcourt duo sank 7 of 29 shots and made only one of 12 attempts from 3-point range. They weren’t available in the extra five-minute session, instead seated on the bench next to two others in street clothes: Grant Williams and Pat Connaughton, after maxing out their predetermined playing time.
“Yeah, that’s hard,” Kon Knueppel said. “That’s hard for those guys. It’s hard to get a rhythm for those guys personally, like B. Mill coming in out of the game, that’s tough to do. It’s kind of tough as a team, too, when guys are shuffling the lineup like that. But just (a) collective effort. Collin Sexton was awesome again, just bringing his energy and his effort. Same with Moussa (Diabate). I thought those guys were a big force.”
Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, left, throws an arm up as Raptors forward Brandon Ingram takes a shot during the game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
All while Miller and Ball spent the majority of clutch time as mere spectators.
“They were still with us,” said Miles Bridges, who poured in a game-high 35 points. “They played today. They didn’t shoot the ball as well (but) they were still out there, cheering us on as teammates. But it’s tough with the minute restrictions because I had to deal with that last year when I hurt my knee. So, it’s tough getting in the rhythm. So, kudos to those guys for keeping their head and coming in to work every day to do what they do.
“We’re a resilient group. Collin (Sexton) stepped up, Sion (James) stepped up defensively. Offensively, they made the right play. So, that’s just our team.”
Simply being nearly at full strength health-wise for a second straight game represented a mini victory for the Hornets, considering a thorough scan of the team’s daily injury report is a necessity and has been a common occurrence for the past few seasons.
As Ball noted to The Charlotte Observer after Friday night’s streak-busting win, this is all new territory for the 24-year-old, and he’s navigating it with a bit of uncertainty.
Since his return from injury in Milwaukee on Nov. 14, Ball hasn’t registered more than 29 minutes, meaning his current threshold tops out at the 30 mark. The last time he broke that plateau came on Nov. 1 against Minnesota — right before he missed five straight games.
In figuring out how they intend on dividing up the minutes, Lee said there’s a constant dialogue between Ball and the coaching staff to ensure everyone understands what is expected. Especially when it comes to those crunch time minutes in the fourth quarter.
“Yeah, the communication happens on the front end,” Lee said. “So, credit Melo, credit Pat Chasse, our director of performance, and his whole staff for putting together a really comprehensive plan. Lamar, from the coaching staff too. And those conversations are had beforehand so we’re not in the game with emotions and everything going on.
“There are times I’ll look at them like, ‘Can we get one or two more minutes?’ And he’ll give me that look. But I think that everyone’s on a good, same page and the communication channels are just really good right now. And again, like I’ve always said, the thought process of the plan and the minutes is just to put him in the best position to be able to be available for as many games this year because we understand how important he is to our team, to our organization.”
So as of now, when the Hornets suit up for games on consecutive nights, that doesn’t mean their top two players who were nicked up during the season’s initial month won’t be in uniform and available.
Determining which direction they’ll go will be a comprehensive decision.
“Yeah, that happens every day,” Lee said. “Every day there’s communication from how did they respond to playing this many minutes? And whoever dove on the floor, did he get a nick or a bruise? And so there’s, there’s conversations that happen every day from an injury standpoint to make sure all of our guys are healthy, and available and in a place to be able to play in back-to-backs.”
Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets’ second straight victory:
Praise for Sexton
Collin Sexton typically is one of the people summoned off the bench when Lee dips into his reserves. That was the case again versus Toronto, and the veteran guard led the Hornets’ non-starters with 18 points to go along with five assists.
Sexton was on the floor in the waning moments of the fourth quarter and most of overtime in part because of Ball’s minutes restriction, a reflection of where he stands with trust among the Hornets’ coaching staff. Sexton’s play was key.
“Just coming in bringing energy,” Sexton said. “I could tell we were flat early on. I think they came out on a 14-2 running. One thing about me, I’m going to try to change the game right when I get in and I kind of impacted it right away.”
Lee praised Sexton’s team-first attitude and approach.
“Yeah, love Collin for that,” Lee said. “And he’s one of those guys, even when he says it, he truly means it, that he will do whatever myself and the staff and the team need him to do for us to be successful. And I think that he’s actually started to really find his way the last couple games defensively, impacting the ball a lot more and starting to pick up full court.
“I think he’s getting a better feel of offensively where to be and how to play with our pace, play with the pass ahead, heads and screening and all of our plays and actions and stuff.”
Knueppel bounces back
So much for that brief slump.
After netting just 18 points in his previous two outings, including a six-point showing in the loss to New York on Wednesday, Knueppel found the stroke again. The rookie tossed in 20 points against Toronto, netting 5 of 10 attempts overall and going 4 for 7 beyond the arc, including the game-tying 3-pointer with 10.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, left, shoots for three points as Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles tries to block during the game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Knueppel’s 69 made 3-pointers already marks the 10th-highest single-season total by a rookie in franchise history, according to Stathead. That’s despite him draining only 2 of 16 shots behind the arc in the first two games of the home stand.
His four 3-pointers versus the Raptors were nearly half of the Hornets’ 10 makes.
“We didn’t shoot great as a team,” Knueppel said. “We’d like to … make some shots. The last couple games, we haven’t really shot very well from the three. But it’s good to get back in the rhythm, I guess, personally, and hopefully we can have a team game where everybody shoots.”
Lee was never truly concerned about Knueppel.
“He’s gotten some really good looks; he’s taken some really good shots,” Lee said. I didn’t even notice he was 2 for 16 if I’m being honest with you, because he hits some timely ones, and he’s taking the right ones. I just think he’s playing the right way. He’s still able to get a piece of the paint, (with) his gravity teams are still game planning for him as a shooter, and so he adds driving lanes for other guys.
“He sticks his nose in there and gets a couple offensive rebounds every now and again. His screening is really good, he’s created indecision for other teams’ coverages. We go through periods like this. I think Sion (James) started the season really hot, and then he had a little bit of a lull, and now he’s starting to come back, too. It’s part of your first year, having to deal with different defenses, having to deal with the fatigue your body feels as you go through these grueling games with a lot more physicality and athleticism. He works his tail off, and I know those shots will go down, especially if they’re the right ones.”
View from the other side
With the Hornets having played the Raptors twice in the past three weeks, it’s given Toronto coach Darko Rajaković an opportunity to get a sustained look at Charlotte’s roster.
Count Rajaković among those intrigued by the Hornets’ full contingent of players.
Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner misses a dunk as Raptors forward Scottie Barnes gets in his path during the game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
“Charlotte is a good team,” Rajaković said. “They have a lot of young, talented players. This draft class, a couple of guys that they’re able to start and play. Obviously, they’re starting two rookies, and those two rookies are doing a great job. Brandon Miller, him coming back, he’s one of the younger, more talented players in the league, that there is a lot of upside.
“He brings another dimension to them. Another great shooter, another player that can create his own shot with the length that he has. They’re a really good team and they have good depth.”