Lonzo Ball Outduels De'Aaron Fox as Lakers Beat Kings
For the first time in a month, the Los Angeles Lakers have won back-to-back games.
Two days after the Lakers snapped a nine-game losing streak by drubbing the Atlanta Hawks, the Purple and Gold remained on solid footing Tuesday with a 99-86 win over the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center.
Lonzo Ball flirted with his third triple-double of the season, finishing with five points on 2-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and five steals.
As those figures indicate, the No. 2 overall pick took a step back as a scorer after he tallied double-figure efforts in his first two games back from a sprained left shoulder. In fact, Ball became the first Lakers player since Lamar Odom in 2008 to record a double-double that didn't include points, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
That isn't to say he performed poorly, however.
Ball looked sharp Tuesday when he was aggressive on the glass and turned defensive rebounds into quick opportunities at the other end—even if they didn't always result in the prettiest finishes:
Lonzo also broke out his signature outlet pass to help kickstart the offense:
Lakers.com's Kevin Ding noted Ball's determination to push the pace proved infectious on a night when L.A. totaled 35 fast-break points:
The rookie's primary counterpart on an up-and-down night was fellow first-year player De'Aaron Fox, who emerged as one of Ball's chief foils during their brief collegiate tenures. In 30 minutes, the Kentucky product poured in 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, including a career-high three conversions from beyond the arc.
However, Sacramento couldn't take advantage of Fox's strong showing.
Although the Kings erased an 18-point first-quarter deficit and took the lead in the second quarter, the Lakers had fresher legs throughout the second half and ultimately ran past a team that was on the second night of a back-to-back.
Moving forward, the Lakers will hope Ball, Julius Randle (22 points, 14 rebounds, six assists), Brandon Ingram (15 points) and Brook Lopez (18 points) can keep things rolling Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs as they eye their first three-game winning streak of the season.
The Kings, in need of a breather, will have Wednesday off before the Los Angeles Clippers come to Golden 1 Center for the start of a home-and-home Thursday.
