Charles Lee, the first-year head coach of the Hornets, decided to bench Ball in the fourth quarter of Charlotte's NBA Cup loss in Brooklyn. It was a tough night for Ball on the stat sheet (12 points on 3/13 shooting with four fouls and turnovers to boot), but Lee benching his superstar shot creator in a close game was a baffling decision.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $100,000 for using what the NBA called “an offensive and derogatory comment” following his team’s 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Interviewed on the Hornets’ local FanDuel Sports ...