Hornets star LaMelo Ball breaks ankle, done for season
LaMelo Ball made six three-pointers before breaking his right ankle in the third quarter, and the host Charlotte Hornets held on to beat the Detroit Pistons 117-106 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points, Gordon Hayward had 19 points and rookie Mark Williams added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which is still second-to-last in the Eastern
Conference standings — ahead of only Detroit.
Ball finished with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range, his fifth straight game making at least five 3s. He was hurt on a non-contact play, and the Hornets announced after the game that he had fractured his right ankle.
Ball will miss the rest of the season, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
Hamidou Diallo scored 23 points, and James Wiseman had his best game since coming to Detroit from Golden State as part of a four-team trade, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Marvin Bagley added 21 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Detroit, which has lost five straight.
LATE MONDAY Knicks 109, Celtics 94:
Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley each scored 23 points, and surging New York won its sixth straight and knocked Boston from the top spot in the NBA.
Celtics All-Star Jayson
Tatum struggled through a 6-for-18 shooting performance and was ejected in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul. He finished with 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Jalen Brunson added 17 points for the Knicks (3627), who inched ahead of Brooklyn into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 22 for the Celtics (44-18). They slipped percentage points behind Milwaukee (43-17), which has won 14 straight games and now owns the NBA’s best record.
ELSEWHERE Suns:
Kevin Durant is expected to make his debut for Phoenix on Wednesday against the Hornets.
The Suns made the announcement on social media Tuesday. The 13time All-Star came to Phoenix on Feb. 9 in a blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.