sport news NBA: LaMelo Ball reinjures his ankle as Hornets loss to Pacers, while Curry ... trends now
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 11 assists, Myles Turner added 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat Charlotte 125-113 - with Hornets All-Star guard LaMelo Ball re-injuring his left ankle after stepping on a fan's foot.
Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points off the bench, including Indiana's first 10 points of the fourth quarter as the Pacers won for the sixth time in eight games. Buddy Hield added 19 points.
Ball finished with 26 points for the Hornets, but left with 1:34 left when he re-injured his left ankle - the same one that kept him out of the first 13 games of the season.
Ball was hurt attempting to save a ball from going out of bounds near where coach Steve Clifford was standing, but stepped on a fan's foot who was seated courtside and rolled his ankle as he attempted to brace himself from going into the crowd. He immediately limped toward the bench and then headed straight to the locker room.
Hornets All-Star guard LaMelo Ball re-injuring his left ankle after stepping on a fan's foot
Tyrese Haliburton brings ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half
There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury.
'He rolled it on a fan's foot is what I was told,' Clifford said. 'Hopefully, it's not bad but I'm sure we won't know anything until tomorrow.'
Ball was not made available for comment after the game.
It was Ball's third game back, but his first at home and he received a huge ovation during pre-game warmups.
While the Hornets have been plagued with injuries - Cody Martin, Gordon Hayward and Dennis Smith Jr. are also out - the Pacers (7-6) just seem to keep rolling along.
Ball drives to basket while guarded by Indiana Pacers' Andrew Nembhard before getting hurt
SUNS 130, WARRIORS 119
Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points, Devin Booker added 27 as the Phoenix Suns easily overcame Stephen Curry's 50-point night to beat the Golden State Warriors 130-119 on Wednesday.
The Suns controlled most of the game despite Curry's scoring. The eight-time All-Star made 17 of 28 shots, going 7 of 11 from 3-point range.
The problem for the Warriors was nobody else was helping. Klay Thompson finished with 19 points but shot just 6 of 17. The Warriors — defending NBA champs — fell to 6-9.
Curry's scoring prowess is expected, but it was countered by one of the best games of Payne's career. Starting in place of the injured Chris Paul, the 6-foot-3 guard made 9 of 17 shots, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc.
The Suns led 103-89 going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors quickly cut into that margin but couldn't get closer than eight points. Damion Lee hit back-to-back 3-pointers against his former team to keep the Suns comfortably ahead.
The Suns shot 21 of 40 (52.5 percent) from 3-point range. Mikal Bridges had 23 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers.
Steph Curry of Golden State Warriors shoots ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns
CELTICS 126, HAWKS 101
Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced Boston attack and the East-leading Celtics stretched their winning streak to eight with a 126-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
The Celtics were missing injured guards Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. It hardly mattered.
There were plenty of players to fill the void against the Hawks, who were coming off a big win at Milwaukee and eager to show they could challenge the best in the conference. Not on this night.
Boston took control in the first quarter against the cold-shooting Hawks, whose occasional spurts were quickly snuffed out by the Celtics´ stifling defense.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 27 points, but was held to 10-of-23 shooting, including a mere 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.
Jaylen Brown (7) shoots over Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during first half of action
KNICKS 106, NUGGETS 103
Julius Randle scored a season-high 34 points and the New York Knicks took advantage of Nikola Jokic's absence to win in Denver for the first time in 16 years, rallying past the Nuggets 106-103 on Wednesday night.
