Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Posts double-double in spot start
Rotowire
Diabate totaled 16 points (8-12 FG), 15 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 37 minutes during Saturday's 105-102 win over the Nets.
With Jusuf Nurkic (neck) and Mark Williams (foot) sidelined Saturday, Diabate submitted his sixth double-double in his eighth start of the year. Diabate has averaged 7.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.4 minutes while shooting 56.3 percent from the field as a starter this season. If both Williams and Nurkic remain out for Monday's game against the Heat, Diabate should continue to have a short-term boost in fantasy value.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Saturday vs. Brooklyn
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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.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Muted role continues
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Diabate recorded six points (3-5 FG), three rebounds, two assists and one block in 11 minutes during Friday's 118-117 loss to Cleveland.
Diabate managed just 11 minutes despite the fact Charlotte was without Mark Williams who was sitting out on the first night of a back-to-back. The arrival of Jusuf Nurkic prior to the trade deadline signaled the end for Diabate when it came to playing meaningful minutes. He has now played more than 20 minutes only twice in the past eight games.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Plays well off bench
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Diabate ended Monday's 130-88 loss to the Kings with 12 points (5-11 FG, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds and two steals across 21 minutes.
Mark Williams (foot) missed this game for the front end of the back-to-back set, though he's expected back Tuesday. Diabate has shown many times that he can be productive when the minutes are there, but there's a logjam at center now that Jusuf Nurkic is becoming more involved. When the Hornets are at full strength, minutes will be hard to come by for Diabate.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Iffy for Wednesday
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Diabate (eye) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Magic.
Diabate sustained the right eye abrasion during Sunday's loss to Detroit. The big man was able to suit up in Monday's loss to the Nets, though he exited the game early due to the right eye abrasion. With Mark Williams (not injury related) off of the injury report, Jusuf Nurkic and Taj Gibson could see a slight bump in minutes if Diabate is sidelined.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Suffers eye injury
Rotowire
Diabate won't return to Monday's game against the Nets due to a right eye abrasion. He tallied 21 points (9-11 FG, 3-6 FT), 10 rebounds and two blocks across 27 minutes before leaving.
Diabate was cruising to a big night prior to going down with the injury. Jusuf Nurkic and Taj Gibson will be forced to hold down the center position during the final period with both Diabate and Mark Williams (not injury related) out.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Available against Nets
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Diabate (eye) is available for Monday's game against the Nets.
After exiting Sunday's game against the Pistons with an eye injury, Diabate has been cleared to play on the second leg of Charlotte's back-to-back. Over his last seven games, the big man has averaged 9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.8 minutes. With Jusuf Nurkic available to make his Hornets debut, Diabate could lose some playing time.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Doubtful to return Sunday
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Diabate is listed as doubtful to return in Sunday's game against the Pistons due to a right eye injury, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
In the likely event that Diabate remains out, he'll finish the game with five points (2-2 FG, 1-2 FT) and one rebound across seven minutes after he was forced to the locker room in the second quarter upon taking a hit to the face. Tidjane Salaun, DaQuan Jeffries and Taj Gibson are likely to operate as the Hornets' primary options in the frontcourt for the rest of the contest.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Grabs 15 boards in start
Rotowire
Diabate notched nine points (4-10 FG, 1-1 FT), 15 rebounds and six assists over 33 minutes during Friday's 117-116 victory over San Antonio.
Diabate got the starting nod Friday, falling one point short of a double-double. With Mark Williams now in Los Angeles, Diabate appears as though he will be the starting center moving forward, despite the addition of Jusuf Nurkic. Although Diabate's overall appeal is somewhat limited, he should be a great source of rebounds, with some upside when it comes to efficiency and defensive contributions.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Set to start against San Antonio
Rotowire
Diabate is in the starting five for Friday's game versus the Spurs.
Diabate will make his fifth start of the season Friday. The 22-year-old big man is averaging 2.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 30.5 minutes across his four starting appearances in 2024-25.
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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: Not on injury report
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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: 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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
