Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball met with the media following the team's Thursday night game against the Houston Rockets at Spectrum Center. Local reporters inquired about the accident Ball had with another driver at Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Ball was brief in his comments. By Jeff Siner
Kevin Durant lit up the Charlotte Hornets Thursday night, extending what has been a difficult couple of days for the home team.
The Hornets lost 105-101 to Houston on Thursday night before a sellout crowd, with the 37-year-old Durant scoring a game-high 35 points and making every big play down the stretch. He was amazing.
An uninjured LaMelo Ball also played in the game, one day after being involved in a car wreck in the heart of uptown. Ball then answered questions afterward about his recent car wreck — sort of.
Ball came to the press conference room postgame. He didn’t offer a lot of clarification on what happened, however, when his custom Hummer collided with another car in uptown Charlotte.
“It’s unfortunate,” Ball said. “Everybody is cool. So, it’s just blessings. God is great.”
WSOC-TV, The Charlotte Observer’s news partner, captured Ball getting into another car not too long after the wreck Wednesday afternoon. The car he got into turned out to be teammate Brandon Miller’s. So why did Ball leave when he did?
“Nah,” he said. “You gotta check in on that.”
I did. A team source said Thursday night that Ball was told by the police that he could legally depart the scene, and that’s why he left.
Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee, left, goes over a play with guard LaMelo Ball prior to Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets at Spectrum Center. Ball was involved in a car wreck on Wednesday at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets but was unhurt. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Ball was also asked in the press conference by another reporter how he knew that the unidentified female in the other car was OK (MEDIC said one person was treated for non-life threatening injuries).
“I seen her get straight out of the car,” Ball said, referring to the moments after the accident.
In response to another question, he said: “I’m just alive and blessed for real. So, God is great.”
And that was pretty much that. We’ll figure out more eventually about what happened Wednesday, but it wasn’t going to come from that press conference.
Meanwhile, a basketball game was played Thursday, and the Hornets lost for only the second time in the past 12 games. It was close all the way, but the Hornets simply couldn’t stop Durant. He made 14-of-20 shots, hitting one tough fadeaway jumper after another and going 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line before a sellout crowd of 19,622 at Spectrum Center.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant smiles as he signs autographs for fans following Thursday’s 105-101 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Durant scored 35 points. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
The Hornets missed Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, both still suspended due to their fight against Detroit for two more games after this one. But Charlotte actually played good defense. The problem was offensive — Ball and Miller combined to shoot 2-for-18 from 3-point land.
Miller (17 points) was a dismal 5-for-22 overall, and Ball wasn’t a lot better at 5-for-14. The only person who could score consistently was Grant Williams, who led the Hornets with 20 points. Rookie Kon Knueppel hit a couple of late 3-pointers to keep it close but didn’t play up to his usual standards — he had a team-high five turnovers.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, left, chases after a loose ball with Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun, right, during Thursday’s action at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Durant was vintage Durant, adding eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks to his totals. “I thought we did a good job all night, and obviously he hits a big one with about three guys with a hand in his face,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said, referring to a late Durant bucket.
It doesn’t get any easier Friday, when Charlotte faces a 35-21 Cleveland team, again without Bridges and Diabate. The loss on Thursday night moved the Hornets (26-30) from ninth to 10th in the Eastern Conference, on the edge of the play-in tournament if the season ended today.