Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight vs Lakers? Hornets rookie unfazed by Lebron James matchup

The Charlotte Hornets will make the trip to California to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA regular season on Thursday night. The Hornets have been a surprise story in the NBA this season and currently occupy the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and will look to stun the defending champions at the Staples Center when they collide. However, much of Charlotte's chances will depend on rookie LaMelo Ball, who will be facing the Lakers for the first time in his career. Here's the Lamelo Ball injury update. Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight? When is LaMelo Ball coming back? As things stand, LaMelo Ball has no injury concerns and is likely to be fielded in the Charlotte Hornets' starting line-up on their trip to Los Angeles. The 18-year-old will be playing his first game against the defending champions in his career, but the NBA rookie does not expect to feel any added excitement competing against LeBron James and the Lakers. For many youngsters, facing off against the 36-year-old is ticking one item off their bucket list. Speaking ahead of the game, LaMelo said that he goes into every game with the same approach and while facing off against LeBron James will be "cool", he will not divert his attention and focus ahead of the game. LaMelo Ball return: Rookie's good form has propelled Hornets into playoff contention LaMelo Ball in his first 17 starts: ✅ 340 PTS ✅ 107 REB ✅ 115 AST Ball is just the third player since the ABA-NBA merger to record at least 300p/100r/100a in his first 17 starts, joining Magic Johnson (1979-80) and Ben Simmons (2017-18). pic.twitter.com/CAF9ihdDxV — Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) March 14, 2021 LaMelo Ball has been one of the main reasons behind the Charlotte Hornets' surprising run for playoff places this season. The 18-year-old, who was picked as the No. 3 overall by Michael Jordan's franchise, leads all rookies in points (15.8 points), assists (6.3), rebounds (6.0) and steals (1.6) per game to propel the Hornets to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. He is the first NBA rookie to lead numbers in all four categories before the All-Star Break, something that hasn't happened in the NBA in the past 60 seasons. So much is his prowess, that the 18-year-old is outproducing his elder brother Lonzo Ball who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. Lonzo was picked by the Lakers as the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft and grew up idolising LeBron James, unlike LaMelo, who looked up to his father while growing up. NBA live stream: How to watch Hornets vs Lakers live? Fans in India can watch the NBA live stream on the NBA App. However, one will need to purchase the NBA League Pass for the same. The pass will enable fans to watch multiple matches along with replays, highlights and much more exclusive content. There will be no live broadcast of the NBA this season in India. The Hornets vs Lakers live stream will begin at 8:00 AM IST on Friday, March 19. (Image Courtesy: LaMelo Ball Instagram)

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Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight vs Lakers? Hornets rookie unfazed by Lebron James matchup

Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight vs Lakers? NBA rookie has propelled the Hornets into playoff contention and is fit to play against the defending champions.

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