LaMelo Ball upgraded to questionable for Friday

Charlotte Hornets PR: OFFICIAL: @Charlotte Hornets have recalled LaMelo Ball & Ish Smith from the @GreensboroSwarm. They will rejoin the team in Portland on team’s six-game road trip. Tomorrow’s injury report is as follows: 12/17 at POR – INJURY UPDATE: LaMelo Ball – Questionable (Return from H&S; Protocols)
Source: Twitter @HornetsPR

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Rod Boone @rodboone
LaMelo and Ish Smith have been recalled from the @greensboroswarm following their practice and conditioning assignment and will join the team here in Portland. LaMelo is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Blazers. – 6:33 PM

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
A ton of NBA players have entered the league’s health-and-safety protocols including Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, LaMelo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Russell Westbrook.
Is it time for the NBA to pause the season? basketballnews.com/stories/its-ti… – 6:20 PM

Rylan Stiles @Rylan_Stiles
Josh Giddey totaled 105 assists and 131 rebounds in his first 18 career NBA games. Giddey joins LaMelo Ball and LeBron James as the only teenagers in NBA History to reach 100 assists and 100 rebounds in their first 20 games. – 12:21 PM

Rod Boone @rodboone
#Hornets have assigned LaMelo Ball and Ish Smith to the @greensboroswarm for practice today. Smith has cleared health and safety protocols. – 11:06 AM

Rod Boone @rodboone
LaMelo and Gelo at practice yesterday for Greensboro. If all goes well with LaMelo’s conditioning, the expectation is for him to join the team in Portland.
(📷 @greensboroswarm) pic.twitter.com/PX1NTszHBi – 9:07 AM

Matthew Tynan @Matthew_Tynan
LaMelo Ball out for tomorrow’s game in San Antonio, per Hornets PR. – 6:33 PM

Rod Boone @rodboone
LaMelo has been recalled from the @greensboroswarm after practicing with them today but remains out for tomorrow’s game in San Antonio. He’s not with the team yet. Mason Plumlee (rib contusion) is questionable. Jalen McDaniels is going to be available. – 6:05 PM

Paul Garcia @PaulGarciaNBA
LaMelo Ball is out for Wednesday game vs Spurs per Hornets – 6:02 PM

Rod Boone @rodboone
James Borrego said the hope is to get Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels in San Antonio tonight and let them go through shootaround tomorrow morning to see where they are at physically. Sounds like LaMelo remains more on track to return Friday in Portland. – 2:37 PM

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
The Hornets say LaMelo Ball has been cleared from the NBA’s health and safety protocols and has been assigned to the @greensboroswarm for a conditioning and rehab assignment.
More NBA from me: marcstein.Substack.com – 10:05 AM

Rod Boone @rodboone
LaMelo Ball has cleared health and safety protocols and has been assigned to the @greensboroswarm for practice and conditioning. His return is near. – 10:02 AM

Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
I’m not sure what I liked more, the 70 pt 1st half explosion or the holding the opp to <40% shooting for the 2nd straight game. One thing to do it to OKC, totally another to do it it CHA, even with LaMelo not orchestrating their offense. #Averygoodnight – 12:17 AM

More on this storyline

Adam Zagoria: Nets coach Steve Nash says the guys in Covid Protocols — including James Harden — ‘can’t go into any facility n NY’ to work out but he hopes to ‘get them back to moving and getting themselves prepared to return to play.’ -via Twitter @AdamZagoria / December 16, 2021

Tim Bontemps: Doc Rivers says the 76ers have had internal discussions about restricting their own actions to try to do what they can to slow the spread of COVID-19. Said the Sixers, like every other team, are just trying to navigate this situation. -via Twitter @TimBontemps / December 16, 2021

Shams Charania: Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has entered health and safety protocols, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Sacramento is expected to have a handful of total players entering protocols along with several more staff members. -via Twitter @ShamsCharania / December 16, 2021