“Do we want to win? Let’s win” – LaMelo Ball on what he told his Charlotte Hornets teammates to inspire 23-point comeback win against Indiana Pacers
LaMelo Ball was the NBA's 2021 Rookie of the Year. He has now started his sophomore season with that chip on his shoulder.
On a night where his team, the Charlotte Hornets, trailed their opponents, the Indiana Pacers, by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, Ball inspired his teammates to pull off a come-from-behind 123-122 victory.
LaMelo Ball put in an all-round performance, tallying 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals to inspire the Hornets to a one-point win.
Speaking to the media after the game, the 20-year-old told reporters what message he had for his teammates as they trailed 59-75 at halftime. He said:
“We just wanted to win. We went into the locker room, I said, ‘Do we want to win? C’mon, let’s win.’ The only way to do that is playing hard.”
LaMelo Ball also made seven of nine long-range attempts, which was one triple more than the rest of his team.
Commenting on his hot shooting form from deep, Ball credited the hard work he put in at practice. He said:
“I just stay in the gym, just work on my game. Go out there and feel confident about every shot I take. That’s pretty much it.”
LaMelo Ball becomes third-youngest player ever with 30 points in season opener
LaMelo Ball's 31-point outing was the second-highest scoring effort of his short NBA career.
However, in reaching the 30-point mark at the age of 20 years and 59 days, Ball also became the third-youngest player in NBA history with 30 points in a season opener. Only Lamar Odom and John Drew were younger than the Charlotte Hornets star.
LaMelo is the 3rd-youngest player ever with 30 points in a season opener 📈
What a sophomore debut 🙌 https://t.co/fqgCCraB2g
The second-year NBA player also received good support from Gordon Hayward (27 points). Some key contributions also came from the Charlotte bench as Ish Smith contributed 14 points and Cody Martin scored 10 points on four-of-five shooting.
Melo: 31 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST
Gordon: 27 PTS, 5 REB
Ish: 14 PTS, 5 AST
Kelly: 14 PTS, 3 REB
Miles: 13 PTS, 8 REB
Cody: 10 PTS, 6 REB
#AllFly https://t.co/qUk8o2t6Xi
After trailing 59-82 early in the third quarter, the Hornets outscored the Pacers 64-40 the rest of the way to close out the game. Charlotte went on a 24-0 run from 63-84 to 87-84 that effectively saw the tide turn in their favor.
Speaking about the run that occurred over a six-minute period from the 8:48 mark to the 2:46 mark in the third quarter, LaMelo Ball said:
“I feel like we all just locked in. I feel like we were playing for one another. Instead of how the game kind of started, it was pretty much just going down, getting one shot, not really getting into the flow of the game. But when that [the 24-0 run] happened, I felt like we all really locked in.”
Also Read: What is LaMelo Ball’s Net Worth in 2021?