The Charlotte Hornets' 10-game winning streak ended after a 111–99 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Charlotte had not lost on the road since January 17 against the Golden State Warriors, but suffered losses at the hands of Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie, who scored 30, 24 and 24 points, respectively.
For Charlotte, LaMelo Ball had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, going 9-19 from the field. That performance means Ball is now only the 8th player in the NBA to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in 100 games before the age of 25, which is the most in franchise history, according to a post on X by ESPN Insights.
LaMelo Ball has 100 games scoring at least 20 PTS, 5 REB and 5 AST, the most in Hornets history.
He is only the 8th player in NBA history to play 100 such games before the age of 25.
Others include LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Oscar Robertson, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Magic... pic.twitter.com/T3KLyL8lJ2
- ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) 9 March 2026
Others to accomplish this feat include some current and future greats, including LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Oscar Robertson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Magic Johnson, meaning Ball finds himself in truly elite company. Despite this, the Hornets started the game fast, making 9 of their first 11 shots and shooting 36% from the field for the rest of the game.
Booker had a double-double, as well as adding 10 assists despite shooting only 1-6 from beyond the arc. He converted all 15 of his free throw attempts while the Hornets made 10 of their 15 free throw attempts on the night.
Rookie Rasheer Fleming added 16 points off the bench, including four three-pointers. Phoenix has now won four of its last five games, despite Dillon Brooks, Mark Williams and Grayson Allen being sidelined with injuries.
Kon Knueppel had a particularly poor game from the three-point zone, making only two of his eight attempts and finishing with 15 points and four assists. For Charlotte, the other leading scorers were Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller, who had 16 and 11 points, respectively.
The loss pushed the Hornets below the .500 mark with a 32–33 record, good for No. 10 in the Eastern Conference. Their next match will be against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Meanwhile, the Suns improved to 37-27 for the season and will next visit the Milwaukee Bucks.
