Moussa Diabate

Ball will be back in the starting unit after coming off the bench during the first leg of this back-to-back, which is a new strategy that they've used during their last few back-to-backs to maximize his availability. That will push Sion James to the bench.

The Hornets' decision to bring LaMelo Ball off the bench is a form of injury management without holding him out for the entire game. Fantasy managers should still slot Ball into their lineups, but his fantasy value does take a slight hit with the change. With the Hornets visiting Orlando on Thursday, James may be bumped back to the bench for that one.

Diabate (hamstring) is available for Sunday's game against the Nuggets.

Charlotte Hornets (15-27, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (29-13, third in the Western Conference)Denver; Sunday, 8 p.m. ESTBETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Nuggets -2.5; over/under is 230.5BOTTOM LINE: Denver hosts the Charlotte Hornets after Jamal Murray scored 42 points in the Denver Nuggets' 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards.The Nuggets have gone 12-6 in home games. Denver is 5-5 in games decided by less than 4 points.The Hornets are 8-15 on the road. Charlotte is eighth in the NBA with 45.3 rebounds per game led by Moussa Diabate averaging 8.4.The 122.5 points per game the Nuggets average are 5.4 more points than the Hornets allow (117.1). The Hornets average 15.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.2 more made shots on average than the 13.2 per game the Nuggets allow.The teams square off for the second time this season. The Nuggets won the last matchup 115-106 on Dec. 7, with Murray scoring 34 points in the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Peyton Watson is shooting 51.3% and averaging 14.0 points for the Nuggets. Murray is averaging 21.4 points over the last 10 games.Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. LaMelo Ball is averaging 20.7 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 44.9% over the last 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 112.4 points, 38.7 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.1 points per game.Hornets: 4-6, averaging 120.0 points, 47.3 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 5.9 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.6 points.INJURIES: Nuggets: Cameron Johnson: out (knee), Tamar Bates: out (foot), Nikola Jokic: out (knee), Jonas Valanciunas: out (calf), Christian Braun: day to day (ankle).Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Moussa Diabate: day to day (hamstring).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Diabate (hamstring) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Warriors.