Charlotte PG Ball sprains ankle again against Rockets
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON (AP) — Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball left Wednesday night’s game against the Houston Rockets after spraining his left ankle again.
Ball said after Charlotte’s 122-117 victory that he didn’t think the injury was serious, and he didn’t plan to have X-rays on his ankle.
“I can walk and everything so I’ll just take it day by day and see what it is,” he said.
Ball was injured when teammate P.J. Washington landed on him after jumping to try for a rebound with about nine minutes left in the third quarter. Ball appeared to be in a lot of pain and didn’t put any weight on his left leg as he was helped to the locker room.
The team then ruled Ball out with a sprained left ankle.
Coach Steve Clifford wasn’t sure after the game if the injury would keep Ball out of Saturday’s game at Atlanta.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and that’s really it,” he said.
It’s the third time this season that Ball has injured the same ankle. He missed part of the preseason and the first 13 games of the season after spraining it the first time.
He played just three games before spraining it again on Nov. 16 when he stepped on a fan’s foot late in a game against Indiana. That time he missed 11 games with the injury.
“I feel a little better,” Ball said. “It don’t feel like them other ones so I think I’ll be straight.”
Ball had 13 points and four assists in the victory at Houston.
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