Barring an unexpected development, Hornets star LaMelo Ball will miss his first game of the season on Sunday, having been listed as doubtful for the matchup against Utah (Twitter links via the Hornets). Rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner may miss the game as well — he’s questionable to suit up for personal reasons.
Ball has dealt with numerous ankle injuries over the past years. The 24-year-old point guard’s injury designation is right ankle impingement.
It’s the second of a back-to-back for the Hornets, who dropped their third straight game on Saturday vs. Minnesota.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- After missing four games with a right hamstring strain, rookie wing Nique Clifford was able to return to action in Saturday’s two-point win in Milwaukee, as first reported by Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. While Clifford’s traditional stats were very modest (three rebounds and one block), the Kings outscored the Bucks by eight points during his 16 minutes on the court. Veteran guard Malik Monk (personal reasons) missed the game, tweets Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento.
- Trail Blazers guard Blake Wesley was forced out of Friday’s win over Denver after sustaining a right foot injury, the team announced (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Wesley, an offseason free agent addition, will miss additional time as a result of the injury. Third-year wing Kris Murray saw a significant uptick in playing time with Matisse Thybulle (thumb surgery) and Wesley out.
- Ayo Dosunmu is off to a terrific start this season, averaging 16.2 points, 3.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds on .577/.476/.846 shooting through five games (26.2 minutes per contest). Unfortunately, the Bulls guard suffered a left quad contusion in Friday’s victory against the Knicks and is questionable for Sunday’s rematch in New York, as Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). Dosunmu is playing on an expiring $7.5MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 unless he signs a veteran extension.