Hornets Make Mark Williams Announcement After Lakers Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Elie Deglaoui | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 3:47 PM ET

On Wednesday night, Mark Williams made his return for the Charlotte Hornets just a couple of weeks after the trade that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers fell through. Though Dalton Knecht, who was set to go to Charlotte in the trade, already suited up for the Lakers afterward, Williams had been away from the Hornets.

In the win over Los Angeles in a bit of a revenge game, the Duke alum recorded 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting, nine rebounds, and two assists. After the game, the Hornets made an announcement about their starting center that may upset some Lakers fans.

Per their official injury report, the Hornets have announced that Williams (conditioning) will be out of action against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Though this could have been the plan all along, it may stick out to Lakers fans that the team opted to play him against Los Angeles only to sit him the next day.

Williams will join LaMelo Ball on the bench, as the star guard has also been ruled out on the second night of a back-to-back.

These players are OUT for the Hornets tonight against the Nuggets:

— LaMelo Ball (right ankle injury management)
— Mark Williams (return to competition conditioning)

Both played in last night's win over LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/5AKnU0J6mH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 20, 2025

Prior to their win over the Lakers on Tuesday, the Hornets had lost 11 of their last 13 games and were in the midst of a three-game losing streak. While they are not going to make the playoffs this year, the Hornets still have some legitimate talent on their roster, and they proved that against the Lakers.

Because the Lakers and Hornets have already gone head-to-head twice this season, they will not have another matchup the rest of the way. However, assuming he is still in Charlotte next season, Lakers fans may circle the date of the next time the team can exact their revenge on Williams.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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