CODY MARTIN

LaMelo Ball had 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets spoiled Kyrie Irving’s first home game of the season by beating the Brooklyn Nets 119-110.

Miles Bridges had 26 points, Ish Smith provided a huge boost off the bench with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting and the Charlotte Hornets held off the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 117-114 on Friday night.

Devin Booker had 16 points in his return to Phoenix’s lineup and the NBA-leading Suns set a season-scoring high in a 137-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.

Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 41 points and the Charlotte Hornets never trailed in a 131-115 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Terry Rozier had a big jump-ball win and made two late free throws to help the Charlotte Hornets snap the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak at seven, 106-102 on Sunday night.

Miles Bridges had 32 points and nine rebounds, Ish Smith added 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and the Charlotte Hornets improved to 3-0 for the first time by beating the Brooklyn Nets 111-95.

Domantas Sabonis had 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists, and the short-handed Indiana Pacers routed the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 in the Eastern Conference’s first play-in game.

(AP Photo/Nell Redmond)CHARLOTTE, N.C. – San Antonio star DeMar DeRozan was the defensive focus for the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Spurs to a 122-110 victory over the short-handed Hornets. Derrick White scored 12 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, helping San Antonio to its fifth win in six games. “They had a lot of attention on him from jump — making it crowded for him,” White said of DeRozan. AdThe game was tied heading into the fourth quarter, but White scored 10 points in the first seven minutes to help the Spurs to a 108-99 lead.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) shoots past Oklahoma City Thunder center Al Horford (42) in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Derick Hingle)CHARLOTTE, N.C. – LaMelo Ball grew up playing 3-on-3 games against his older brother Lonzo on a concrete court in the backyard of their parents’ home in Chino Hills, California. It was something you had to witness for real.”That is where the Ball brothers learned to compete — and first dreamed of playing in the NBA. But the battle of the Ball brothers is one of the most high-profile sibling matchups ever. While they took different paths — Lonzo went to play at UCLA while LaMelo went overseas to play professionally — Lonzo was the No.

San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Tim Duncan, left, talks to San Antonio Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. He got his first victory as an acting head coach on Tuesday night. “It's night and day to be in the big boy chair,” said Duncan, who normally serves as an assistant coach. “I wouldn't be sitting here (as a head coach) if it wasn't for that guy,” Borrego said. The Hornets came back and Rozier cut the Spurs' lead to one with a driving layup with 42 seconds left.