LiAngelo, LaMelo Ball vs. Dzukija: Live Stream, Schedule and Preview
The LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball show continues Tuesday when they take Vytautas into a Big Baller Brand Challenge encounter against Alytaus Dzukija.
These offensive-minded showcases took a brief hiatus over the weekend as Vytautas suited up for another Lithuanian domestic league game, yet the Ball brothers continue to put on a show in the Big Baller Brand Challenge.
Vytautas has drummed up a 3-0 mark with two games left in the challenge, one the team chose to enter instead of playing in the Baltic Basketball League. The fourth game comes against a talented Dzukija team after both LiAngelo and LaMelo had an improved showing in the domestic league.
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LiAngelo, LaMelo Ball vs. Vytis
When: Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m. ET
Where: Prienai Arena
Live Stream: Ballislife Weekly Basketball Showcase
The time around the challenge itself is all about improvement in LKL play.
Both LiAngelo and LaMelo went scoreless in their debut there, but Sunday was much better—the former scored 20 points and the latter 13 in Vytautas' 116-93 loss to Pieno Zvaigzdes.
Ballislife captured the performance:
The brothers hadn't received a ton of playing time in their LKL debut in large part because of their struggles on defense.
Vytautas coach Virginijus Seskus touched on this topic after the loss over the weekend, according to journalist Donatas Urbonas:
Vytautas center Kervin Bristol added the following during the broadcast (h/t Josh Martin of Lonzo Wire): "They are adjusting. Coach is teaching them because they are young, so they have to learn and get some experience."
The Big Baller Brand Challenge is precisely designed to help the brothers improve on the international scene. Wednesday, both put up another strong performance in the challenge, coming from behind to down Sakiu Vytis, 93-89.
There, LiAngelo paced all scorers in the contest with 22 points and added seven rebounds. LaMelo wasn't far behind with 14 points and a pair of rebounds and assists. It wasn't the 31 points from LaMelo and 29 from LiAngelo they posted in the second game of the challenge by any means, but the competition was tougher as they continue to adjust to international games.
Fans can expect the Ball brothers to put on another show Tuesday regardless. They're a liability on the defensive end of the court, but they're scoring well in Lithuania in a premier top league already, despite playing in a separate challenge designed to train them and get them accustomed to overseas play.
The Big Baller Brand Challenge is more of an offensive showcase for both, and another good performance could mean yet another step in the right direction ahead of their next LKL game. Combine the two, and 2018 already has one of the sporting realm's unexpected major stories.
Tuesday's game comes before an LKL game where Vytautas encounters BC Juventus on Jan. 27. From there, the Big Baller Brand Challenge wraps up on Jan. 28 against Jonavos Jonava.
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