Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Cruises to second double-double
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Diabate logged 17 points (7-9 FG, 3-3 FT), 12 rebounds and one block in 22 minutes during Sunday's 126-103 win over the Jazz.
Diabate paced the Charlotte bench in scoring, doing all of his damage near the cylinder in the second and third quarters. He was also a force on the boards, pulling down six of his 12 boards on the offensive glass on the way to his second double-double of the young season. Diabate clearly outplayed starter Ryan Kalkbrenner on the night, who was held to two points, four rebounds, four steals and four blocks in 22 minutes.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Just misses double-double
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Diabate finished with 11 points (3-5 FG, 5-6 FT), nine rebounds and one assist over 19 minutes during Saturday's 122-105 loss to Minnesota.
Diabate flirted with what would've been his second double-double of the season, but he's now corralled at least nine boards in three of his first six games. The fourth-year big man remains behind rookie second-rounder Ryan Kalkbrenner on the depth chart, but Diabate has been effective in a reserve role. He's averaged 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.8 minutes per contest, shooting 60.0 percent from the field.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Logs first double-double of season
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Diabate put up 12 points (4-9 FG, 4-5 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks and an assist across 23 minutes in Sunday's 139-113 win over Washington.
Diabate has been one of the more important players among the bench unit, as he and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner continue to compete for minutes and potentially the starting job. If Diabate can continue to post performances like he did Sunday, he may be able to crack the starting lineup in the foreseeable future.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Teases double-double off bench
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Diabate posted 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, one block and one steal in 21 minutes during Wednesday's 136-117 win over the Nets.
Although he came off the bench in favor of rookie big man Ryan Kalkbrenner, Diabate was still effective from the second unit. The two centers will likely be jockeying for positioning as Charlotte's top big man throughout the year, and Diabate remains someone for fantasy managers to keep an eye on in the early stages of the season.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Headed to bench
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Diabate will head to the bench for Wednesday's season opener against Brooklyn.
Diabate was in and out of the starting unit throughout the preseason, so while he's not getting the start Wednesday, we wouldn't necessarily consider the reserve role a long-term thing. That said, he's not the most attractive target while working with the reserves, so he's a risky guy to deploy in daily fantasy leagues.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Friday
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Diabate will start in Friday's preseason game against New York.
The 23-year-old center will join the first unit in the team's preseason finale, pushing Ryan Kalkbrenner to the bench. Diabate will start alongside Collin Sexton, Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley and Miles Bridges.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Monster double-double in preseason
Rotowire
Diabate generated 18 points (6-7 FG, 6-8 FT), 13 rebounds and one block across 25 minutes of Wednesday's 145-116 preseason win over Memphis.
Diabate led Charlotte's reserves in points and paced the whole team in rebounds. Nine of his 13 boards came on the offensive end. Entering his fourth professional season, Diabate appears to be competing with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner for the starting center spot.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Heading to bench Saturday
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Diabate is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's preseason game against the Mavericks, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Diabate might have the inside track to earn the starting role after the offseason departure of Mark Williams, but he'll have to wait for his chance off the bench in this one. Ryan Kalkbrenner will get the starting nod in this one.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Solid work in starting role
Rotowire
Diabate produced 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and two steals over 26 minutes during Thursday's 122-116 loss to the Thunder.
Diabate currently has the inside track to the starting center after Mark Williams' departure. Mason Plumlee and 2025 second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner will also be on hand to provide support, but the first-unit spot is Diabate's to lose. He played a minimal role with Charlotte last season after spending two seasons with the Clippers, and the team is relying on the former Michigan star's potential to shore up the frontcourt.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Sunday
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Diabate will start in Sunday's preseason game against the Thunder, James Plowright of CLTure.org reports.
Diabate will get the starting nod in Charlotte's preseason opener. The big man appeared in 71 regular-season games (eight starts) for the Hornets last season, during which he averaged 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds across 17.5 minutes per game. He's expected to compete for playing time with Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kalkbrenner this season.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Nears double-double in return
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Diabate had 10 points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, one block and two steals in 25 minutes during Sunday's 93-86 loss to the Celtics.
Diabate returned for Sunday's regular-season finale after missing the last two games due to an illness, providing a spark off the Hornets bench by hauling in a team-high-tying rebound total and finishing one board shy of a double-double. Diabate posted at least 10 points and nine rebounds on eight occasions this season and tallied a double-digit scoring total in 16 outings.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Ruled out Friday
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Diabate (illness) won't play in Friday's game versus the Celtics.
Diabate will miss his second consecutive contest Friday after being downgraded from questionable to out due to an illness. Diabate's final chance to suit up this season is Sunday's rematch with Boston.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Iffy for Friday
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Diabate (illness) is listed as questionable for Friday's game versus the Celtics.
Diabate is in danger of missing his second straight contest Friday due to an illness. If Diabate is forced to sit out yet again, Jusuf Nurkic and Taj Gibson could receive increased playing time.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Ruled out Wednesday
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Diabate (illness) has been ruled out for Wednesday's contest against Toronto.
Diabate was a late addition to the Hornets' injury report due to an illness, and he appears to be too under the weather to play in Wednesday's game. He'll look to recover ahead of Friday's game against the Celtics. Jusuf Nurkic, Taj Gibson and Tidjane Salaun will serve as the Hornets' big men Wednesday due to Diabate and Mark Williams (foot) both being ruled out.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Questionable with illness
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Diabate (illness) has been listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Raptors, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
After playing 17 minutes against Memphis on Tuesday, Diabate is in jeopardy of missing the second half of this back-to-back set due to an illness. Jusuf Nurkic, Taj Gibson and Tidjane Salaun will likely have a heavy load in the frontcourt, with Mark Williams (rest) already ruled out for Wednesday's game.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Records double-double
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Diabate closed Friday's 125-102 loss to the Kings with 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 FT) and 11 rebounds across 23 minutes.
Diabate is essentially the Hornets' third-string center behind Mark Williams (back) and Jusuf Nurkic, so his chances of playing aren't plentiful. However, there have been several instances where he's made the most of his opportunities based on the energy he brings on both ends of the court. He could be an intriguing fantasy alternative down the stretch due to his per-minute stats, but he won't have a lot of upside unless he earns a more prominent role in the rotation. He's averaging 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.3 blocks per game since the beginning of March despite averaging a mere 13.7 minutes per contest in that stretch.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Uncertain to play Thursday
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Diabate is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Knicks due to right knee soreness.
Diabate suffered the knee injury in Tuesday's 134-102 loss to the Hawks and wasn't able to return, but the Hornets aren't yet willing to rule him out for Thursday. A decision on his status will be made closer to Thursday's 7 p.m. ET tipoff.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Fails to return Tuesday
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Diabate recorded two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes before exiting Tuesday's 134-102 loss to the Hawks with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter due to an apparent right knee injury.
Diabate required assistance to the locker room after he appeared to injure his knee while attempting to contest a layup. The Hornets will be back in action Thursday against the Knicks, but Diabate could face an uphill battle to get cleared for that contest.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Injures knee Tuesday
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Diabate sustained an apparent right knee injury during the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game against the Hawks, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Diabate went down under the basket after contesting a layup, and he appeared to grab at his right knee before being helped off the court with 3:58 remaining in the period. The big man is unlikely to return during the final minutes of the game, and he can be considered questionable at best for Thursday's matchup against the Knicks. He posted two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes prior to exiting.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Saturday vs. Brooklyn
Rotowire
Diabate is in the Hornets' starting lineup against the Nets on Saturday.
Diabate will make his eighth start of the season Saturday due to the absences of Mark Williams (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (neck). Diabate's last start came Feb. 10 against the Nets, when he logged 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks over 27 minutes.
