In a cross-conference game at Portland’s Moda Center, the Hornets face the Trail Blazers. This is the second and final meetings of two teams this season.
Updates on LaMelo Ball and Cody Martin’ status
The Hornets are coming off a 134-130 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.
In 37 minutes against the Lakers on Friday, LaMelo Ball had 23 points (9-22 FG, 4-12 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
After reaching that mark against the Clippers on Wednesday, Ball flirted with a triple-double. Ball has been a rock solid player since returning from an extended injury absence on December 14, scoring 23 points in the last six games. In three of those six games, he has also had double-digit assists.
The Hornets are missing Nick Richards, Dennis Smith Jr., and Cody Martin due to injuries in this game.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Cody Martin had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on Friday and will be out for six weeks.
Martin has been out with a quadriceps injury since the Hornets’ season opener on Oct. 19. Martin decided on surgery after making little progress in his recovery over the previous three weeks, and he will now be out until at least late December.
Last Friday, the Trail Blazers finished their six-game road trip with a 120-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets. It was their third straight defeat and fourth in five games. The Trail Blazers scored 43 points in the second half while shooting 44.8% from the field and 25.7% from beyond the arc (9-for-35).
Josh Hart, Jusuf Nurkic, Justise Winslow, and Gary Payton II are the questionable players in this match.
