Even though the Charlotte Hornets finally welcomed back LaMelo Ball from a 20-game absence, his star presence was nowhere near enough to prevent a lopsided 135-99 loss in San Antonio on Friday night.
All things considered, Ball looked good in his first outing since Nov. 26, finishing with a game-high 28 points on 5-of-14 shooting, five assists, a career-high-tying five steals and six turnovers in 27 minutes. The 22-year-old set new career highs for both free-throw makes (15) and attempts (16), becoming the second player in team history with at least five steals and 15 made free throws in a game (Eddie Jones on April 27, 1999), per Basketball Reference.