CODY MARTIN

LaMelo Ball’s first home game of the season didn’t go anywhere near as well as the All-Star point guard hoped.

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.

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.

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.