The first Lonzo Ball vs. De’Aaron Fox NBA matchup took place on Wednesday night (November 22) and the Sacramento Kings absolutely dominated the Los Angeles Lakers. Since the 2017 NBA Draft took place, there has been a lot of debate on social media about the competition between Ball and Fox. Both players became stars in college basketball, with Ball showcasing what he could do for the UCLA Bruins and Fox leading the Kentucky Wildcats.
Coming into this game, De’Aaron Fox had played 17 games for the Sacramento Kings, serving as the backup point guard in most of them. He had averages of 11.0 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. Fox had shot 40.8 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from three-point range, and 72.1 percent from the free throw line. As for Lonzo Ball, he had started 18 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 8.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. He was shooting 30.8 percent from the field, 23.0 percent from three-point range, and 35.6 percent from the line.
In the updated NBA standings , the Lakers took a big hit by losing this game, falling to 8-11 on the season and allowing the Kings to improve to 5-13. In the 113-102 victory , the Kings shot an amazing 56 percent from the field and 47.6 percent on three-pointers. De’Aaron Fox played just 23 minutes, posting 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. On the other side, Lonzo Ball played 37 minutes, finishing with 11 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. He got very close to his third triple-double of the season.
It’s halftime on ESPN & the @SacramentoKings head to the locker room up on the @Lakers , 54-41.
Randolph: 14 PTS on 6/10 shooting #SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/KTzWA4ITVW
— NBA (@NBA) November 23, 2017
This was the first of four games that the Lakers and Kings will play this season, potentially giving the fans of both teams a lot of additional opportunities to enjoy the play of De’Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball. The heroes of this game for the Kings were Willie Cauley-Stein (26 points and six rebounds), Zach Randolph (22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (14 points and seven assists). They helped pace the game and keep the Lakers from making any significant runs. Frank Mason III also had 11 points and seven assists off the bench as the backup point guard.
In this history of the two rookie point guards, De’Aaron Fox gets the first win over Lonzo Ball, with the next game scheduled to take place on January 9. Fox gets the early bragging rights in careers that are certainly going to mirror each other in the Pacific Division. Outside of the Ball vs. Fox debate, though, there will be arguments about whether the L.A. Lakers or Sacramento Kings will be relevant at all when teams are battling for playoff spots in March and April.
[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
