Charlotte Hornets coach Charles Lee laughed at his own foolishness after his clash of heads with LaMelo Ball.

The Hornets made it seven straight wins on Monday, as they beat the New Orleans Pelicans 102-95.

Ball starred, leading the way with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists, despite having to go off the court for treatment on a laceration above his eye.

The injury was sustained as Ball and Lee both attempted to retrieve the ball as it went out of bounds, resulting in a head-on collision.

"Stupid coach," said Lee as he spoke to reporters after the game, as quoted by ESPN.

"I took a play off, and you're not supposed to take any plays off.

"I thought the ball was going out of bounds and I was going to save it from going into the stands, and he was going to save the ball.

"We went head-to-head. Credit to him, he didn't yell at me too bad."

Trailing by 22 with 3:21 to go in the second quarter, the Hornets buckled down and allowed a season-low 31 second-half points in a 102-95 comeback home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday afternoon, extending their winning streak to seven games.

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Ball was back within no time, and Lee was thrilled with how swiftly his talisman returned to action.

"I love his spirit of, 'Hey, let me get to the back, get cleaned up and get back out there,'" Lee added.

"It just shows the growth that he continues to have to take a bump or a bruise like that and shake it off. He really helped our team.

"It was a great job by him, responding to a foolish coach."

Ball, for his part, laughed off the incident.

"He went for the ball and I went for the ball, and obviously, we bumped heads," he said.

"It was unfortunate, but hey, I'm still alive and breathing, so who cares? We got the win, so that's what most important."