Lonzo Ball’s triple-double sends Lakers past Denver

LOS ANGELES — Lonzo Ball’s haircuts are headline news around LA and the NBA. His father already draws more attention than most politicians, and LaVar Ball is even currently engaged in a public argument with the president.

Through all of this extraordinary attention on a 20-year-old point guard and his family, Lonzo has managed to remain focused on his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He broke through the distractions with another beautiful game against Denver.

Ball had his second career triple-double and Julius Randle scored 24 points in the Lakers’ 127-109 victory over the short-handed Nuggets on Sunday night.

With 11 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and 11 assists, Ball reached the milestone at 20 years and 23 days — the exact age at which LeBron James became the youngest player to record his second triple-double in 2005.

Ball became the youngest player in NBA history with a first triple-double eight days earlier in a loss at Milwaukee.

“This one was a lot better,” Ball said. “I actually like this one. Just keep building on it.”

Ball and Magic Johnson are the only Lakers with multiple triple-doubles in their rookie seasons. Johnson had seven, and his new point guard has two in his first 17 games.

“You should always play better in front of your fans, so I’m just trying to put on a good show for them and win at the same time,” Ball said.

Ball had another big game at another turbulent moment in his family life. With his father beefing with Donald Trumpover the president’s role in resolving brother LiAngelo’s legal issues during a UCLA basketball trip to China, Lonzo Ball put together an outstanding floor game to boost the Lakers to just their second win in seven games.

“Never with a young man like this, his age, have I seen it,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said of the circus surrounding Ball’s every move.

“I mean, he got a haircut and fielded three questions on game day about his haircut. One, it’s impressive how he is able to maintain and handle it, and two, I think it’s a little bit nuts. But that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Brook Lopez scored 21 points and Jordan Clarkson added 18 for the Lakers, who surged to a 24-point lead in the first half and won easily.

Denver coach Mike Malone and top scorer Nikola Jokic were ejected in the second quarter after Malone stepped onto the court during play to argue a no-call on a play by Jokic around the basket. Malone furiously confronted referee Rodney Mott, who swiftly ejected the coach and his best player when Jokic joined in the argument.

“I’ll be honest, I deserved to get tossed, but Nikola Jokic did nothing to warrant an ejection,” Malone said. “That’s something that we’ll try to look into if we can.”

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Jamal Murray got a technical foul for gesturing at Mott after a no-call shortly after the two ejections. … Two nights after Denver scored 146 points in a win over New Orleans, the Nuggets mustered just 48 points in the first half while committing 13 turnovers.

Lakers: The 6-foot-6 Ball’s 16 rebounds are the most in the NBA by a rookie this season. … Los Angeles had a season-high 36 assists. … Randle scored 17 points before halftime. … Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac were recalled from the South Bay Lakers before the game. Hart scored three points, and Zubac played two minutes.

TOSSED

Malone was infuriated when Mott didn’t call a foul on the Lakers for contact while Jokic battled underneath the basket. When the teams headed upcourt, Malone took two steps onto the hardwood and blocked Mott’s path.

Jokic had barely joined the argument when Mott tossed him as well, prompting a profane response. Malone’s assistants had to calm him down.

“I just want to apologize to the Denver Nuggets,” Jokic said. “I feel bad. I left my teammates alone there.”

JULIUS EARNING

Randle went 11 of 18 from the field and added seven points and five assists in a stellar game off the bench. Walton would love to see a similar effort from Randle every night.

“I’m trying to figure that out,” Walton said. “Because when he plays like he did tonight, he’s as good as anyone in this league.”

HURTING

Denver forward Paul Millsap left with a sprained left wrist in the second quarter of a miserable night for the Nuggets, who lost for just the second time in six games. Millsap had X-rays, but Malone didn’t yet know the results.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: At Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

Lakers: Host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Coach Luke Walton: It ‘would be silly’ to tinker with Lonzo Ball’s shooting style

Aside from his phenomenal court vision, the thing that stands out the most with Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball is his awkward-looking shooting form.

Although he was a consistent three-point threat in his lone year at UCLA—knocking down a respectable  41.2 percent clip from beyond the arc—most pundits doubt if he can translate the success in the big leagues if he won’t tinker his shot.

So far in his first four games as a pro , Ball has certainly  had his share of ups and downs shooting the rock. The 19-year-old playmaker is currently averaging 29.4 percent from three-point range and 34.8 percent overall.

But as far as Lakers head coach Luke Walton is concerned, he won’t require his new starting point guard to alter his shooting style anytime soon.

“For us to try to mess with it would be silly, because the ball goes in the net,” he told Laker analyst for Spectrum SportsNet, Mike Bresnahan.

The Lakers currently hold a 2-2 win/loss record, with the second overall pick averaging 11.5 points, 9 boards and 9 assists per contest.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ball flirts with triple-double, Lakers hold on to beat Suns

PHOENIX — Lonzo Ball barely missed a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in his second NBA game and the Los Angeles Lakers held on to beat the Phoenix Suns 132-130 on Friday night.

The Suns had a chance to tie it with 1.2 seconds to play, but T.J. Warren missed the first of two free throws. That meant he had to miss the second intentionally and hope for a rebound, but the Suns couldn’t get a decent shot off before the buzzer.

Ball, the No. 2 overall pick this year who is a week shy of his 20th birthday, took over down the stretch, scoring eight points in a 2 1/2-minute span. His final basket during that run, a floating layup, put Los Angeles ahead 130-122 with 1:35 to play.

But the Suns came roaring back behind Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, whose 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds left cut it to 131-130. Brandon Ingram made one of two free throws to give Phoenix one last chance and Warren was fouled by Ingram on an inbounds play.

The free throw was off the back of the rim, though, and the Lakers survived.

Bledsoe scored 29 points, 17 in the fourth quarter. Booker also flirted with what would have been his first career triple-double, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Warren added 24 points, 17 in the second quarter. Ingram scored 25 points for Los Angeles.

Both teams were coming off of season-opening blowout losses.

The Lakers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 108-92, and Phoenix was routed by Portland 124-79, the most one-sided loss in Suns history and most one-sided season opener ever in the NBA.

From the opening tip Friday, it was a fast-paced, often sloppy, game with not much attention to defense.

Phoenix used a 13-2 run to go up 55-49 with 7:09 left in the half and the Suns stretched it to 67-58 on another 3 by Booker with 3:34 left in the half. But the Lakers scored the next seven, five at the free throw line.

Warren responded with consecutive baskets, but Ingram had the last laugh, a 3-pointer with eight seconds to play to cut Phoenix’s lead to 73-70 at the half.

Booker was called for a flagrant one when he fouled Brewer hard on a layup with 6:02 left in the third quarter. Larry Nance Jr. jumped into the fray and put a shoulder into Booker, who responded with a shove. Booker and Nance both were assessed technical fouls.

The play came during an 13-2 Lakers outburst that put Los Angeles on top 95-85 after Nance stole the ball from Booker with both players on the floor and flipped the ball to Lopez for a layup with 3:03 to play in the third quarter.

The Lakers boosted the lead to 111-99 on Clarkson’s basket with 10:28 to go.

TIP INS

Lakers: Luol Deng, who started Thursday’s opener, was inactive. … Ball had three points, nine assists and four steals in his debut Thursday night. … The Lakers locked arms as they stood for the national anthem.

Suns: In the second quarter, Warren was 6 for 7 from the field and 5 for 6 from the foul line. … Booker was flattened under the Phoenix basket by Brook Lopez in the second quarter. He was slow to get up but stayed in the game. ..The Suns play their next five on the road. Their next home game is Nov. 6 against Brooklyn.

UP NEXT

Lakers: Host New Orleans on Sunday night.

Suns: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA prospect Lonzo Ball to forego Draft Combine

Lonzo Ball dazzled scouts and executives alike during his one year stay as the primary playmaker for the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins.

However, interested NBA franchises won’t be able to gauge his full potential through the upcoming NBA Draft Combine, as he will reportedly skip the traditional process all together.

The 19-year-old point guard, widely expected to be a top-five pick in this year’s draft, will not participate in the festivities in Chicago from May 9 to 14, ESPN reported.

The combine has been a staple for the league’s drafting process, where prospects undergo measurements, participate in interviews, take part in shooting drills, take medical tests and go through five-on-five drills which may help or hurt  their stock.

Ball will follow the footsteps of last year’s blue chip recruit Ben Simmons, who still went number one overall despite skipping the process entirely.

Other noteworthy talents like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid opted not to participate in their respective Draft Combines as well.

Some participating recruits, meanwhile, show up but choose to sit out on some events.

For instance, rookies Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray and Buddy Hield declined to take part in athletic testing last year. Khristian Ibarrola/JB

source: sports.inquirer.net

Lonzo Ball done at UCLA, headed to NBA

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Star UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball says he’s one and done at UCLA and headed to the next level.

The guard said Friday night after his team lost to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 that he is moving on from the college game.

“That was my final game for UCLA. I appreciate all the fans and all the support,” Ball said in the UCLA locker room.

Ball was widely expected to declare for the NBA draft after this season. His father, LaVar Ball, has been especially vocal, declaring that the eldest of three hoops-playing brothers is better than NBA MVP Steph Curry.

Ball said he felt bad that he couldn’t carry his team’s seniors to another win in the NCAA Tournament. He says UCLA simply lost to a good team.

Ball was outdueled by Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox on Friday night, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Fox scored 39 for the Wildcats.

UCLA coach Steve Alford indicated he wasn’t surprised by Ball’s decision, even saying he assumed it was the end of the freshman’s college career.

“I probably don’t like to assume anything, but he’s pretty good,” Alford said.

He noted that there is a different culture in college basketball than in his playing days at Indiana.

“Guys can make a good living sooner than what it was two decades ago, three decades ago,” Alford said. “We’ve had our share of some very good one-and-dones.”

source: sports.inquirer.net