Lonzo Ball Injured, but Lakers Beat Mavericks Behind Julius Randle's Heroics
The Los Angeles Lakers lost Lonzo Ball to injury—again.
Luckily, his teammates picked up the slack.
Brook Lopez scored 22 points and Julius Randle had a double-double, as the Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 103-93 win Wednesday at Staples Center.
Ball left in the third quarter with a knee contusion and did not return. He recorded eight points, five assists and four rebounds before exiting. The Lakers rookie was coming off one of his best performances of the season, a 15-point, 11-assist, eight-rebound effort against the Detroit Pistons in which he missed just one shot.
However, like much of the season, one step forward has come with one backward—this time once again in the form of an injury. Ball previously missed 15 games because of an MCL sprain in his left knee, which was injured Wednesday.
The onus fell on the Lakers frontcourt against the Mavericks, and it came through in a major way. Lopez finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists—his seventh game scoring 20 or more points in the month of March. The free-agent-to-be has peaked at the right time of the season and should go into the summer with some promising film to show teams after an iffy start to his time in Los Angeles.
Randle, who is a restricted free agent in July, continued his tear with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He's scored 20 points or more in nine straight games, eight of which have been double-doubles.
Kyle Kuzma scored 18 points off the bench, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Kuzma was the only Lakers player to play all 12 minutes in the fourth, during which the Lakers outscored the Mavericks 21-12.
Brandon Ingram, playing for the first time since March 1, had 13 points and six rebounds. He played 23 minutes as coach Luke Walton attempted to slowly work him back in the rotation.
Harrison Barnes led four double-figure scorers for the Mavericks with 17 points. Dallas shot just 39.3 percent from the floor, including a 13-of-44 rate from the three-point arc.
Dennis Smith Jr. (14 points, eight assists), Dirk Nowitzki (13 points, seven rebounds) and Yogi Ferrell (12 points, three assists) were also in double figures.
The Lakers' next game is Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks at Staples Center. The Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves the same night.
