Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Logs double-double as reserve
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Diabate recorded 10 points (2-2 FG, 6-8 FT), 13 rebounds and two assists over 22 minutes during Wednesday's 112-102 loss to the Bucks.
Despite registering just two field-goal attempts Wednesday, Diabate reached double-digit points for the fourth time in his last five games thanks to his solid efficiency from the charity stripe. The third-year center finished as the Hornets' leading rebounder en route to his fourth double-double of the season (and his second in his last four games). Diabate has had some solid production off the bench this season, particularly on the glass, but for now, he's firmly behind Mark Williams in the center rotation.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Hauls in 13 boards Saturday
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Diabate ended with nine points (2-2 FG, 5-7 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 29 minutes during Saturday's 123-92 victory over the Pelicans.
Diabate led both teams in rebounding Saturday and was one point shy from registering his third double-double of the regular season (and his first since Nov. 16 against the Bucks). Diabate earned significant playing time in November, but he saw his playing time diminish behind Nick Richards and Mark Williams. With Richards now in Phoenix, Diabate has an opportunity to earn a larger role for himself in Charlotte's big man rotation.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Available against Bulls
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Diabate (illness) is available for Friday's game against the Bulls.
Diabate will play through an illness for the Hornets on Friday, and he's in line to make his first appearance in the NBA since a Dec. 30 loss to Chicago. The 22-year-old big man should handle Charlotte's backup center role behind starter Mark Williams with Nick Richards now out of the picture, and Diabate is averaging 6.8 rebounds in 17.9 minutes over 30 contests (four starts) in 2024-25.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Questionable for Friday
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Diabate (illness) is questionable for Friday's game against the Bulls.
Diabate hasn't seen action at the NBA level since Dec. 30, though there could be some minutes coming in his future with Nick Richards now in Phoenix.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Goes scoreless in loss
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Diabate produced three rebounds across nine minutes during Monday's 115-108 overtime loss to Chicago.
Diabate continues to play a muted role off the bench, typically serving as the third-string center behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards. Despite being one of the better offensive rebounders in the league, Diabate's offensive game is basically non-existent. Barring injuries to either Williams or Richards, Diabate is unlikely to step into a meaningful role any time soon.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Not on injury report
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Diabate (illness) is not on the injury report and is available for Friday's game against the Bulls.
Diabate missed the Hornets' most recent back-to-back set due to an illness, but the big man is set to return to action in this matchup. He's averaging 1.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest in his previous 10 appearances while logging 24.1 minutes per game.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Still out Sunday
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Diabate (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Pacers.
An illness will cost Diabate both halves of Charlotte's weekend back-to-back set. He should have plenty of time to recover before attempting to suit up Friday in Chicago. Mark Williams has been limited off the bench since making his season debut, while Nick Richards is nursing an ankle injury, so Taj Gibson is a candidate for playing time in Diabate's absence.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Sitting Saturday
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Diabate (illness) won't play Saturday against the Cavaliers.
Diabate was a late addition to the team's injury reports, and he's since been ruled out. Nick Richards (ankle) will also sit Saturday, leaving Mark Williams and Taj Gibson to handle the team's minutes at center.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Added to injury report
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Diabate is questionable for Saturday's game against the Cavaliers due to illness.
Diabate wasn't added to the injury report until Saturday morning, so this appears to be a more recent development. The team should have more information on his availability closer to tipoff.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Moves to bench
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Diabate isn't in the starting five for Tuesday's game versus the Bucks, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Diabate will be replaced by Nick Richards in the starting lineup Tuesday. While Diabate is averaging 3.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals in 23.6 minutes across his last five appearances coming off the bench, the returns of Richards and Mark Williams could result in significantly decreased playing time for the 22-year-old big man.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Set to start Friday
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Diabate is in the starting five for Friday's game versus the Knicks.
Diabate will replace Taj Gibson in the starting lineup Friday. Diabate has averaged 0.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists in 31.5 minutes across his previous two starting appearances.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Thrives as defensive presence
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Diabate notched two points (1-2 FG), eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals over 32 minutes during Monday's 95-84 loss to the Magic.
Diabate is not going to be asked to carry the team offensively, but he should remain in the rotation as long as he gives the Hornets quality minutes on the defensive side of the ball. He's grabbed seven or more rebounds in all but one of his last nine games, a span in which he's averaging 3.7 points, 11.2 boards, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest. He could be a decent streaming option in category-based formats due to his defensive and rebounding contributions, although the impending returns of Miles Bridges (knee), Mark Williams (foot) and Nick Richards (ribs) limits Diabate's upside.
Diabate finished Saturday's 115-114 win over the Bucks with 12 points (6-7 FG), 14 rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal over 25 minutes.
Diabate did most of his damage in the first half of Saturday's contest, grabbing six of his game-high 10 offensive rebounds to help keep the Hornets within striking distance heading into halftime. The 2022 second-round pick has seen a significant increase in playing time off the bench due to Nick Richards being sidelined with a rib fracture, and Diabate should continue to see heavy usage as the first big man off the Hornets' bench. Diabate has grabbed at least 11 rebounds over his last four games, and across that span he has averaged 7.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.3 blocks over 26.8 minutes per game.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Plays with energy Friday
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Diabate totaled seven points (3-4 FG, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes during Friday's 124-109 loss to the Celtics.
Diabate played a season-high 16 minutes in the loss, providing the team with some much-needed energy following a lackluster first quarter. He was particularly aggressive on the offensive boards, hauling down an impressive six offensive rebounds. As long as the Hornets are banged up, Diabate is someone who should have a somewhat meaningful role, especially if the team continues to start slowly in games.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Joins Charlotte on two-way deal
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Diabate and the Hornets agreed to a two-way contract Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The No. 43 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Diabate spent the past two seasons with the Clippers where he made a total of 33 appearances. With the Hornets in the early stages of a rebuild, there is a much bigger path to minutes for Diabate with his new franchise, though he'll likely spend the bulk of his time in the G League early on.
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Clippers' Moussa Diabate: Not available Wednesday
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Head coach Tyronn Lue said Diabate (hand) will be inactive for Wednesday's game against the Suns, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
Diabate, a two-way player, is back with the Clippers now that the G League season is over, but it's unclear if he'll be available in a depth role over the remaining two contests of the regular season. He hasn't played at either the NBA or G League level since March 14 due to the hand injury.
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Clippers' Moussa Diabate: Still out with hand injury
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Diabate (hand) was inactive Thursday for the G League Ontario Clippers' 113-102 win over the G League Ignite.
Diabate didn't play in any of Ontario's final six games of the G League season while he continues to recover from a hand injury. Before sustaining the injury, Diabate appeared in 19 games for Ontario and averaged 15.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals in 30.0 minutes per contest while shooting 54.6 percent from the field. Since he's a two-way player, Diabate's 2023-24 season isn't over, as he'll still have a chance to see some minutes at the NBA level with the Clippers over the final two weeks of the regular season if he's able to overcome the hand injury.
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Clippers' Moussa Diabate: Out again
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Diabate (hip) won't play in Saturday's game against Boston, Justin Russo of the 'Clip & Roll' podcast reports.
Diabate has been sidelined since Nov. 30 with a hip injury. Considering he's played more than six minutes only twice this season, his absence shouldn't have much impact on the Clippers rotation.
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Clippers' Moussa Diabate: Remains out Monday
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Diabate (hip) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Pacers, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Diabate continues to deal with a hip injury and hasn't played since late November. His continued absence shouldn't impact the Clippers' rotation.
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Clippers' Moussa Diabate: Won't play Saturday
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Diabate (hip) will not play in Saturday's game against the Knicks.
Diabate hasn't seen the floor for the Clippers since Nov. 30 and isn't usually in the rotation.