Exhibition game or not, the Charlotte Hornets were provided a nice test in their preseason opener on Tuesday night, narrowly falling to the Miami Heat 113-109 down in South Beach.
LaMelo Ball made his long-awaited return to the court more than seven months after suffering a season-ending right ankle fracture back in late February. The 2022 NBA All-Star finished with team-high totals in both points (17) and assists (seven), while committing only one turnover and shooting a solid 5-of-13 from the field (2-of-7 from 3-point range).
Charlotte recovered from a 20-0 second-quarter Miami run with a 24-2 halftime-spanning stretch of its own to open a 64-55 lead early in the third frame.