LaMelo Ball Bounces Back with 13 Points, 6 Rebounds in Hornets' Loss to Thunder

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball bounced back from a scoreless NBA debut with 13 points and six rebounds in 15 minutes during his team's 109-107 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

Ball missed his first shot before hitting five straight to enter halftime with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He hit a pair of three-pointers en route to helping Charlotte take a 59-57 lead into the third quarter. 

The 19-year-old also collected an errant Thunder pass and took care of business himself by going coast-to-coast for a dunk:

Ball went scoreless in the second half, but it was a good night for the 2020 NBA draft's No. 3 overall pick.

Beforehand, Ball went 0-of-5 in 16 minutes of play during the Hornets' 121-114 season-opening loss.

However, he impressed at times in the preseason, notably grabbing 10 rebounds in his first contest against the Toronto Raptors and dropping 18 points and five assists versus the Orlando Magic.

As for Saturday, the Hornets found themselves down 102-89 with just 1:50 remaining. Charlotte then went on an 18-5 run in 1:40 to tie the game at 107, but Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put home the game-winner with 1.4 seconds left:

Ball and the Hornets will take the court next against the Brooklyn Nets at home on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.