Lakers Beat Nets 124-112 Despite Lonzo Ball's Lack of Production

In the aftermath of Lonzo Ball's scoreless outing Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton urged the No. 2 overall pick to look for his shot more. 

"The hardest thing for young players is the consistency when you just play so many games," Walton said, according to the Washington Post's Matt Bonesteel. "He's so unselfish. We want him to be more aggressive with attacking the defenses."

Ball followed those instructions Friday night. 

The only problem? His 15 shots produced three made field goals and six points as the Lakers cruised to a 124-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center. 

Ball has now been held below 10 points and has made fewer than five shots in seven of his nine professional appearances. 

The positive is that Ball handed out seven assists and didn't register a turnover as he finished a team-high plus-22 in the plus/minus column. 

However, Friday turned out to be yet another night when Ball was overshadowed by fellow first-round pick Kyle Kuzma. 

Drawing the start in place of the injured Larry Nance Jr. (second metacarpal fracture), Kuzma burned Brooklyn's defense by repeatedly bullying his way inside the restricted area en route to 21 points (8-of-11 shooting) and 13 rebounds. 

In the aftermath of Kuzma's third straight double-digit performance, The Score's Chris Walder wondered if he could be a contender for Rookie of the Year: 

The cross-conference clash also represented a revenge game of sorts for D'Angelo Russell and Brook Lopez after they were swapped as part of a blockbuster trade in June. 

Russell, who made his first appearance at Staples Center since the trade, managed a modest 17 points on an inefficient 8-of-24 shooting. 

Lopez, though, was dominant. 

Whether he was working with his back to the basket in the post or facing up from long range, Lopez found success against the Nets' leaky defense and thrashed his former squad with 34 points (13-of-23 shooting, 6-of-9 from three) and 10 boards. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Lopez became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in November 2014 to finish a game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. 

Lopez and the Lakers, who improved to 4-5 with the win, will try to secure consecutive victories Sunday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies.