LaMelo Ball delivered a stellar performance with 32 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 115-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The win ended a 10-game losing streak for Charlotte, improving their record to 8-27.
Miles Bridges chipped in 21 points, while Nick Richards contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. The Hornets dominated the boards, outrebounding Phoenix 59-42, and used a massive second-quarter run to seize control of the game.
The Suns (16-19) struggled outside of their stars, with Devin Booker scoring 39 points and Kevin Durant adding 26. Phoenix, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, appeared fatigued and lacked offensive support from its supporting cast.
After a slow start, Ball came alive in the second quarter, scoring 10 points as Charlotte outscored Phoenix 37-17 to take a 13-point halftime lead. He carried the momentum into the second half, scoring 29 of his 32 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including four three-pointers.
Bridges and Richards provided key support for the Hornets, with Richards’ physical presence in the paint frustrating the Suns. Charlotte’s defense also forced Phoenix into inefficient shooting, holding them to just 42.4% from the field and 24.2% from beyond the arc.
Booker and Durant combined for 65 points, but the Suns lacked contributions from their role players. Bradley Beal was limited to 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Phoenix’s poor bench production compounded their issues, with Beal, Grayson Allen, and Jusuf Nurkic combining for just 27 points. The Suns’ reserves couldn’t match the energy of Charlotte’s second unit, led by Richards and Nick Smith Jr.
