“I’m not calling him Kobe, but Kobe was the same way,” Walton said. Through the ruckus, he noticed Ball’s stoic expression. There was still 1:35 left on the clock, after all, and even with an eight-point lead, he didn’t want them to lose sight of that. Walton saw that happening and rushed out to scold his team. Then he did it again finishing over his head, and the Suns called a timeout as every Laker but him celebrated. The next time down the court he dished his ninth assist of the game, this one to Kuzma who finished with a finger roll off the backboard. Late in the fourth quarter, with their lead less than five, with Ball just two assists away from a triple double, he drove to the basket instead. “I had to shoot more shots, so that’s what I did.” “Today I just had to do what I had to do to get the win,” Ball said. He didn’t shy away from shooting Friday night, taking 27 shots. He was hounded by Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley, who was physically and verbally aggressive with the rookie.īall said after the game that he wished he was more aggressive with taking shots. It’s a good learning experience for everybody.”īall had three points on 1-of-6 shooting in his debut Thursday, with nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. “The guy, personally I thought he could have had a double-double with rebounds and assists. “I think Lonzo’s getting a bad rep for getting destroyed his first game,” coach Luke Walton said before Friday’s game. But even before his much-stronger second act, he had one especially staunch supporter. Brewer was blocked from behind and couldn’t score.īall’s critics were many after Thursday nights’ 108-92 loss to the Clippers. Late in the second quarter, Ball threw a full court pass, like a quarterback might deliver, to Corey Brewer who was underneath the opposite basket. His best might have been one that didn’t tally on the score sheet.

Lonzo ball stats