On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Lonzo Ball, made his NBA debut on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Summer League. The game took place in Las Vegas and drew a packed crowd as the event was sold out.
Lonzo Ball struggled in the first half by posting just 2 points while making just one of his six field goal attempts. He shot mainly from three-point land, but failed to make any of his attempts. Behind the play of Brandon Ingram, the Lakers were still able to lead the Clippers 49-41 at the end of the first half.
In the third quarter, Ball continued to struggle with his outside shooting. While his shooting woes continued, the Clippers were able to take a 65-63 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter.
However, the Lakers were able to regain the lead by the end of the quarter by a score of 70-66. By the end of the quarter, Ball tallied up a total of 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while shooting just 2-9 from the floor.
Although Lonzo continued to struggle with his shooting, the Lakers went into the final quarter seemingly with confidence and a four-point lead.
The Lakers started the fourth quarter with Ball and Ingram both on the bench for almost the first three minutes. In their absence, the Clippers were able to take a 74-72 lead.
The Clippers owned the momentum throughout most of the final period. However, behind the scoring of Brandon Ingram, the Lakers were able to stay in the game by forcing overtime at the end of regulation.
In overtime, Ingram would suffer a leg injury at the beginning of the period. After it was discovered that the injury was not serious, Magic Johnson still signaled for him to be sidelined for the rest of the game. This decision gave Lonzo Ball the opportunity to come up big in his Summer League debut.
Unfortunately for Ball, he still could not find his shot in the overtime period and ended the game shooting just 2-15 and just from the floor. The Lakers ended up losing the game 95-93. Lonzo finished the game with 5 points, 5 assists, and 3 turnovers.
[Featured Image by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images]
