Lou Williams Drops 42 as Clippers Edge Lakers; Lonzo Ball's Struggles Continue
Lou Williams stole the show Monday night in Staples Center as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 120-115.
Williams scored 42 points in the win, which are his second-most points in a single game. The veteran guard had the hot hand, as he made 12 of his 21 field-goal attempts and connected on all 14 of his free throws.
The NBA showed how everything was going right for Williams:
ESPN Stats & Info put Williams' performance in perspective:
The result may have come at a cost for the Clippers. Blake Griffin exited the game in the fourth quarter after Austin Rivers inadvertently rolled into Griffin's left knee.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said the sequence "didn't look good" and that Griffin will undergo further testing to determine the damage to his knee, according to Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver.
Considering Patrick Beverley is already out for the year after having knee surgery, a significant injury to Griffin would almost certainly end the Clippers' run of six straight playoff appearances. Depth was already an issue for Los Angeles, and the absences of Beverley and Griffin would be massive blows for the team.
The Lakers, on the other hand, were already out of the postseason race when the season began. Nonetheless, another underwhelming showing from their first-round draft pick isn't what the team's front office will have wanted to see.
In the first meeting between the Lakers and Clippers, Ball received a rude awakening in his NBA debut, as Beverley took it upon himself to personally welcome the rookie into the league. Ball went 1-of-6 from the floor for three points in the Lakers' 108-92 defeat.
Despite Beverley's absence, little changed for Ball the second time around. He finished 1-of-7 for three points to go along with five rebounds and seven assists. He also turned the ball over three times.
As Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell noted, Ball dealt with foul trouble midway through the third quarter:
Monday night featured few positive takeaways for the first-year star, and he'll quickly want to move on from a pair of possessions late in the fourth quarter as the Lakers trailed 114-113.
First, Ball overshot a streaking Julius Randle for what would've been two sure points to put Los Angeles ahead with 2:24 remaining. Shortly thereafter, Ball bricked a long jumper. Lakers Nation's Trevor Lane thought Ball looked hesitant when getting the shot up:
At the other end of the floor, Williams knocked down two free throws to make it a 116-113 game, which proved to be enough to seal the win for the Clippers.
Blaming Ball solely for the loss would be extremely harsh. Trudell thought the defeat was a collective effort by the Lakers:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (29 points) and Brandon Ingram (17 points) were the only starters to score in double figures, and Ingram's five fouls limited him to 22 minutes on the floor.
Things won't get easier for Ball and the Lakers when they return to the court Wednesday. They welcome in the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Both Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant missed Monday's loss to the Sacramento Kings. Should they return to Golden State's lineup Wednesday, Los Angeles will have its hands full.
