Lonzo Ball goes 1 assist shy of triple-double in Lakers win vs. Suns
— -- PHOENIX -- Luke Walton came to Lonzo Ball's defense saying that his rookie point guard did not play as poorly as some might've said.
Ball backed his coach's words up by nearly becoming the youngest player in NBA history to post a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists to help the Lakers outlast the Suns, 132-130.
"I think Lonzo's getting a bad [rap] for getting destroyed his first game," Walton said before the Lakers won. "Personally, I thought he could have had a double-double with rebounds and assists [but] we didn't make any shots... I thought he was fine last night. It's a good learning experience for everybody."
On Friday night, Ball bounced back and displayed the kind of triple-double versatility that made the Lakers take him second overall in the draft. Ball displayed the kind of passing that dazzled at the Las Vegas Summer League and he knocked down four treys, including a step-back 3-pointer.
When the Suns made a late charge, Ball scored six points in a minute and a half, making three shots with his left hand. He scored on a driving left-handed scoop shot, another left-handed drive against Tyson Chandler and then a driving left-handed layup. In between those baskets, he pushed the ball up court to Kyle Kuzma, who drove in for a layup.
On Thursday night in the season opener, Ball missed five-of-six shots and finished with three points, nine rebounds and four assists in a 108-92 loss to the Clippers. Patrick Beverley hounded the rookie, at one point giving him a body check and sending Ball to the floor at halfcourt.
Ball looked a lot more comfortable, confident and assertive against the defenseless Suns. Phoenix, which surrendered 124 points in a 48-point loss in its opener to Portland, offered little resistance to the Lakers.
Ball and Brandon Ingram, last year's second overall pick, flourished in the up-and-down free-flowing tempo of the game. Ball fired fullcourt passes like he did when leading the Lakers to a summer league title and earning MVP honors in Las Vegas this summer. It was there when Ball created a stir with a slow start only to get better with each game, eventually posting two triple-doubles, leading team president Magic Johnson to say that the rookie will have more to come in the regular season.
On one play against the Suns, Ball grabbed a defensive rebound under the basket, turned and fired a full-court, rim-to-rim pass right to a streaking Corey Brewer right in front of the other basket. Brewer attempted a dunk but was blocked. Ingram also bounced back in a big way. After going 3-for-15 and scoring 12 points against the Clippers, Ingram had the best night of his young career. He scored a career-high 25 points, topping his previous best of 22 points in the third quarter.
Ingram knocked down 9-of-14 shots and three triples. Ball is in a stretch of games in which he will face Beverley, Phoenix's Eric Bledsoe, New Orleans; Jrue Holiday, Washington's John Wall, Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Utah's Ricky Rubio in his first six games. So far, he struggled in his opener only to rebound with a near triple-double.
LeBron James is the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double at 20 years and 20 days. Ball is 19.
"It's one game," LaVar Ball said on Thursday night after his son's debut. "It has always started like that, even in Vegas. Wherever he started, it's been slow."
