Lonzo Ball on Brandon Ingram: It Starts with Us for Lakers Without LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been sidelined by a groin injury since Christmas Day, and second-year point guard Lonzo Ball believes both he and forward Brandon Ingram need to lead the team in the four-time NBA MVP's absence.

Ball told reporters Monday that he and Ingram engaged in a phone call Sunday night to address the situation:

"I just thought we had to step up. We got to be a lot better if we want to win games, and the performance we had yesterday wasn't going to get it done. ...

"It starts with us. Especially when LeBron and [Rajon] Rondo are out. We're going to come out ready to play and get the whole team going. They'll feed off of that."

That came after Los Angeles head coach Luke Walton challenged his promising 21-year-old players Sunday following the team's fifth loss in six games without James:

"They're trying, but they're young. At some point, we need more passion. We need more fight. And that's not scoring more. That's more diving for loose balls, communicating loudly, grabbing [rebounds].

"Brandon had some really nice crack-back rebounds tonight that we can get out and run [from]. We need that all the time from him. So, it's not just them, but until we get healthy again, you got to play in this league with some passion and fire. It's hard to win in this league when you are healthy. So you need to double that effort when guys are down."

Those comments appear to have gotten the attention of the pair of former No. 2 overall picks.

Ball (21 points, seven rebounds and five assists) and Ingram (29 points and six assists) helped the Lakers snap a three-game losing streak with a 107-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

Ingram's 29 points established a new season high, and Ball's 21 points marked his second-most of the season. Over the previous six games entering Monday, Ball had averaged 12.0 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds per contest, while Ingram added 18.5 points during that span.

"Me and Luke have numerous talks about numerous things," Ingram said Monday. "I think it's always motivational talks to see what I can do on the basketball floor. It's not just what he said to y'all, it's constant talk of how I can be better, how I can be more consistent. Whatever it is, I just try to take the challenge. Just try to be better."

The Lakers (22-19) currently have a 1.5-game lead for the eighth spot in the Western Conference as they try to snap a five-year playoff drought.