LaMelo scores 23 in loss vs. Pistons after missing 11 games with ankle sprain

Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball scored 23 points and dished out 11 assists in his first game since Nov. 16 in a 141-134 overtime loss on Wednesday to the Detroit Pistons.

He missed the last 11 contests with a left ankle sprain.

"I feel great," Ball told The Charlotte Observer's Roderick Boone before the game. "Ready to get back out there and just hopefully get it going."

Ball missed the first 13 tilts of the campaign with the same injury and returned for just three contests before being sidelined again.

The former Rookie of the Year averaged 19.3 points and seven assists in those games - nearly on par with his career numbers of 18.4 points and seven assists across 129 games since getting drafted No. 3 overall in 2020.

The Hornets struggled mightily without their All-Star point guard, going 6-18 with Ball out of the lineup. Wednesday's game against the Pistons marked a matchup between the two worst teams in the league.