Oct 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after making a three point basket against the Washington Wizards during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball's status revealed for home matchup with Timberwolves

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 5:20 PM ET

Moments ago, the Charlotte Hornets announced that point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle impingement) has been upgraded from probable to available and will start tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ball was listed as questionable in the team's initial injury report, which was released yesterday evening, but was upgraded to probable earlier in the day.

Huge boost to tonight's lineup

Charlotte isn't built to compete with some of the best teams in the league on a nightly basis just yet, and considering they're already without Brandon Miller, not having LaMelo Ball would have made tonight's challenge that much more difficult. It would have thinned out the bench even further, but with him available, they'll be able to keep Tre Mann on the bench and possibly even Collin Sexton, should head coach Charles Lee opt to start rookie Sion James again.

Ball this season

LaMelo has put up some pretty chunky offensive numbers already this season, but his last two outings didn't go as well as he'd have liked. He posted 15 points in the first quarter against Miami, but was then limited to just five points over the final three quarters. On Thursday against Orlando, Ball finished with 17 points, but went just 1/9 from three-point range. If the Hornets want any shot of winning this one tonight, they're going to need him to shoot a more efficient ball from beyond the arc and be in the neighborhood of 30 points.

Will he play tomorrow?

The Hornets are entering a back-to-back, and considering the number of injuries and the poor luck the organization has had keeping players healthy in recent years, it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that tomorrow could be a rest day for Ball. Ankle injuries have plagued Ball's career, so when the first sign of an ankle injury pops up, the medical team is going to be extremely careful with his workload.

The Hornets and Timberwolves are slated to tip things off at approximately 6:10 p.m. ET. You can watch the game live on FanDuel Sports Network Southeast.