NBA: Lonzo Ball's long-range shooting lifts Pelicans over Rockets

Lonzo Ball made a career-high eight 3-pointers to pace a balanced scoring attack as the New Orleans Pelicans fended off the host Houston Rockets 122-115 on Sunday.

Ball, who missed the previous seven games with a hip injury, paired 27 points with nine assists to lead the Pelicans -- who were without forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Five of his teammates also scored in double figures.

After Houston matched its largest lead of the game at 102-97 following a series of dazzling dunks from rookie Kenyon Martin Jr., the Pelicans responded with a 10-2 run to reclaim the lead.

Down the stretch, multiple hands played a role in keeping the Rockets at bay, with Wes Iwundu and Naji Marshall drilling timely 3-pointers while Willy Hernangomez converted in the paint.

Hernangomez had 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Eric Bledsoe scored 19 points, James Johnson 18, and Stephen Adams and Marshall scored 12 apiece for the Pelicans.

Kelly Olynyk led the Rockets with 26 points. Jae'Sean Tate added 19 points and Christian Wood finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Sterling Brown and Kevin Porter Jr. scored 12 apiece for Houston, but Porter, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close the half ignited a third-quarter surge, recorded eight turnovers and missed 10 of 15 shot attempts.

Houston trailed 70-56 before the Porter half-court heave, but turned a late 9-0 run in the third into its first advantage since early in the game. D.J. Wilson and D.J. Augustin hit 3-pointers for a 92-89 lead.

New Orleans used a 22-5 run to build an early lead, with Ball drilling all four of his 3-point attempts in the first quarter during that stretch. The Pelicans turned seven Houston turnovers into 15 points in the quarter, and the Rockets trailed 38-27 entering the second period.

The Pelicans continued to capitalize on Houston miscues and closed the half with 18 points off 11 Rockets turnovers. Olynyk kept the Rockets in contention with 19 points in 18 minutes off the bench in the half.

-reuters-

NBA: Ball brothers set to sign with Roc Nation Sports -- report

The basketball-playing Ball brothers reportedly have new representation.

Jermaine Jackson, the manager of NBA draft prospect LaMelo Ball, told ESPN on Monday that LaMelo, Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball all reached agreements to join Roc Nation Sports, the agency overseen by media mogul Jay-Z.

"This was a family decision," Jackson, a former NBA player, told ESPN. "This is now an extended family. They put together a beautiful game plan with Jay-Z. The basketball game is about to change. They are going to create something totally new."

Roc Nation's Raymond Brothers will serve as the main agent for the Ball brothers, according to Jackson.

"We talked to several agents, but the family had good vibes with Roc Nation," Jackson told ESPN. "I've known Jay-Z since I played for the Knicks, but this is what the kids wanted to do. Jay-Z is a master at what he does. He's global. It's power beyond power.

The Ball brothers were represented by Creative Artists Agency before leaving the company last month, per multiple media reports. The move followed agent Leon Rose's exit from CAA to become the New York Knicks' president.

Depending upon the denouement of the NBA season, which is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Knicks could have a shot at drafting LaMelo Ball, 18. ESPN and NBAdraft.net both list the youngest Ball brother as the No. 2 prospect for this year's draft.

LaMelo Ball left Chino Hills (Calif.) High School after his sophomore season, and he spent the past two years playing professionally in Lithuania and Australia in addition to competing for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association, which was founded by his father, LaVar.

"Right now Melo is focused on the weight room and working on his game training with LaVar," Jackson told ESPN. "His father is doing a phenomenal job. He already put seven pounds of muscle on him. He's working out with Lonzo and (LiAngelo) trying to get ready for whatever comes next. He's grown half an inch in the last few months."

Lonzo Ball, 22, is in the middle of his third NBA season, his first with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is averaging a career-high 12.4 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds, seven assists and 1.45 steals per game.

He played the previous two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, who selected him second overall in the 2017, before he was dealt to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade.

LiAngelo Ball, 21, had a brief stint at UCLA before playing in Lithuania and with the Los Angeles Ballers. Most recently, he was on the roster of the Oklahoma City Blue but had yet to get into a game with the G League team when play was halted due to the pandemic.

Field Level Media/Reuters

LeBron’s triple-double helps Lakers crush Hornets

LeBron James notched a triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists before sitting out the entire fourth quarter, and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers rolled to an easy 128-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.

The Lakers led by as many as 16 in the first half, then turned the game into a rout with a 19-2 surge early in the third quarter. They led by as many as 36 in the second half.

For James, it was the continuation of a personal domination over teams from Charlotte. James now has a record of 47-6 against the Hornets and Bobcats during his 16-year career with the Lakers, Cleveland and Miami.

Lonzo Ball also enjoyed a triple-double for the Lakers with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The Lakers also got 19 points from JaVale McGee, 14 from Kyle Kuzma and 12 from Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.

Kemba Walker was held to a season-low four points for the Hornets on 2-of-14 shooting from the field. Malik Monk led the Hornets with 19 points and Miles Bridges scored 17. Jeremy Lamb added 12 and Willy Hernangomez 11.

The Lakers led 32-22 after one quarter and 57-50 at halftime. Then came the 19-2 run early in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 80-56, and they went on to lead 97-67 after three quarters. The Lakers outscored Charlotte 40-17 in the third.

The Lakers (18-11) have now won seven of their last 10. The Hornets (14-15) completed a horrid weekend after blowing a 21-point lead in an overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Friday.

The Lakers were playing the second game of a four-game road trip. They will play against the Wizards at Washington on Sunday.

The Hornets were playing the third game of a five-game homestand. They will be off until Wednesday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers

--Field Level Media

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Lakers beat Bulls for 4th straight win without Ball

The Los Angeles Lakers have figured out how to win without Lonzo Ball.

The Lakers used a series of late runs to down the Chicago Bulls, 108-103, at the United Center on Friday night, their fourth straight victory without their star rookie. Brandon Ingram scored 25 points for Los Angeles, which has been without Ball for its last six games since he sprained his left knee on Jan. 13.

Despite Ball's absence, the Lakers were able to overcome a hot 3-point shooting Bulls squad that rallied from two double-digit deficits. Chicago used the hot hand from outside to go on a 16-1 run in the fourth quarter as Nikola Mirotic and Denzel Valentine each hit a pair of triples to put their team ahead 92-90. Mirotic, who scored 18 points, and Valentine, who had 16, each made four 3-pointers. The Bulls made 17 of 36 from behind the arc.

But Julius Randle's three-point play with 2:03 left put the Lakers ahead for good. Ingram added four straight points as Los Angeles took a 103-97 lead and Jordan Clarkson made four straight free throws in the final 21 seconds to hold off Chicago. Clarkson scored 19 points off the bench for the Lakers, who are 4-8 this season without Ball.

Ball practiced on Thursday for the first time since he sustained his injury and will travel with the team throughout a five-game road trip it opened on Friday. But Lakers coach Luke Walton said Ball remains limited in practice and the team will be cautious with its young star.

Los Angeles looked as if it may pull away for good when it used an 11-0 run late in the third quarter to take a 79-68 lead. But Mirotic, Valentine, Bobby Portis and the bench helped Chicago rally. Portis had 16 points and the Bulls finished with a 60-41 edge in bench scoring.

Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen both struggled from the field in the loss. The pair combined to make 6 of 27 tries. Markkanen had 11 points and LaVine finished with 10 for Chicago, which shot 35 percent in the first quarter and trailed 32-25.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Lakers stop Spurs for 3rd win in row

Brandon Ingram scored 26 points, and Lonzo Ball contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as the Los Angeles Lakers knocked off the San Antonio Spurs 93-81 on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Larry Nance Jr. added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who won their season-best third consecutive game. Los Angeles forced 20 turnovers and halted a seven-game home losing streak versus San Antonio.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points for the Spurs, who were without standout small forward Kawhi Leonard (shoulder) for the third straight game. Bryn Forbes added 18 points for San Antonio.

Ingram made 11 of 21 shots while scoring 20 or more points for the third time in the past four games.

"My teammates give me confidence to be in the right spot and make plays," Ingram said in a postgame interview on TNT. "It feels pretty good."

The Lakers racked up 15 steals, including five by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four by Ball.

Nance delivered a dunk to give the Lakers a 72-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before San Antonio controlled the next four-plus minutes and pulled within 77-75 on a 21-footer by Forbes with 6:23 remaining.

Los Angeles answered by putting the game away. Caldwell-Pope and Nance slammed home back-to-back dunks and Ingram scored consecutive baskets as part of a 13-0 surge to push the Los Angeles advantage to 90-75 with 3:11 to play.

San Antonio recovered from an 11-point halftime lead to take a 53-52 lead on a 3-pointer by Forbes with 6:42 left in the third quarter.

Los Angeles followed with a 16-4 burst with Caldwell-Pope scoring eight of the points, including a 3-pointer to cap the spurt to give the Lakers a 68-57 lead. The Spurs tallied the final five points of the stanza to move within six.

Ingram scored 18 first-half points and Ball added 11 as the Lakers took a 49-38 advantage into halftime.

Los Angeles used a 25-3 spurt to turn a three-point deficit with 3:01 left in the first quarter into a 37-18 lead with 7:16 left in the half. A dunk by Nance ended a run of 17 straight Lakers points to make it 29-15 early in the second quarter, and Ball knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a 19-point margin.

San Antonio answered with a 13-3 push to cut its deficit to nine and later got within 42-36 after a 3-pointer by Pau Gasol with 2:01 left before the break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LaVar Ball: Lakers 'don't want to play for' Walton

LaVar Ball, the father of Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, says the players "don't want to play for" head coach Luke Walton.

Ball was up at 5 a.m. local time in Birstonas, Lithuania, on Saturday to watch Lonzo play in his first game back with the Lakers since suffering a sprained shoulder on Dec. 23.

LaVar Ball, who is staying in Birstonas while youngest sons LiAngelo and LaMelo get ready to make their professional debuts with Lithuanian team Prienu Vytautas, told ESPN's Jeff Goodman that the 37-year-old Walton has lost the team.

"You can see they're not playing for Luke no more," Ball told ESPN. "Luke doesn't have control of the team no more. They don't want to play for him."


Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, finished with 11 points and five assists in 27 minutes in the Lakers' 108-94 loss to Charlotte. The Lakers (11-27) have lost nine straight games.

"That's a good team," LaVar Ball told ESPN. "Nobody wants to play for him (Walton). I can see it. No high-fives when they come out of the game. People don't know why they're in the game. He's too young. He's too young. ... He ain't connecting with them anymore. You can look at every player, he's not connecting with not one player."

Both Walton and Lonzo Ball responded Sunday, saying the Lakers' head coach has not lost the locker room during the losing streak.

When asked whether he is fine with Walton as his head coach, Lonzo Ball said, "I'll play for anybody."

"He's a grown man," Ball said of his father's comments following the Lakers' shootaround at Staples Center. "Like I said, he is going to say what he wants to say. I can't (do) nothing about it."

When asked about having a preference for playing for certain coaches, the rookie said "my job is to play basketball. I don't decide who coaches."

Walton was asked if he has received assurances from anyone in Lakers' management about whether his job is on the line.

"Yeah. We're, I feel very secure in my job status right now," Walton said. "We talk all the time. They're 100 percent behind and supporting what we're doing.

"I don't see that the players aren't playing hard. I think the players are playing very hard, we've been through a hard stretch, but they are giving us what they have and we're going to keep working and we'll be fine."

Meanwhile, LaVar Ball said he is confident that Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will be coming to the Lakers this offseason as a free agent.

"LeBron's coming to L.A. I know he's coming to L.A.," Ball, the creator of Big Baller Brand, told ESPN. "LeBron is not a fool. What's the only way he can beat (Michael) Jordan? You can't get more championships. Only one way, to say every team I've gone to I've won a championship. Go to Lakers and win a championship, then you're better than Jordan.

"You can't give my son the best player in the league, and don't expect them not to win. Get rid of everybody. Give him LeBron and Gelo (LiAngelo Ball). You got a 2 and a 3. And it's a win. It's a wrap."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LeBron James triple-double fuels Cavs over Lakers

LOS ANGELES - Cleveland star LeBron James tied Larry Bird for sixth all time in NBA triple-doubles Thursday as the Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-112.

"King" James scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and 12 assists for the 59th triple-double of his 15-season career.

Cleveland's Kevin Love led all scorers with 28 points, while Jose Calderon added a season high 17.

Lonzo Ball, the Lakers rookie playing against James for the first time, finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Brandon Ingram scored 26 points to lead the young, energetic Lakers, who seized an early lead before the Cavaliers found their range.

Cleveland scored 100 points for the 22nd consecutive game, winning for the 16th time in 17 contests.

James helped put the game away, his dunk with 2:20 remaining and short shot with 1:38 to play putting the Cavs up 117-108.

"Tonight the difficult challenge was the way they were kind of spreading the floor, running up and down," James said. "But if we defend, if we share the ball, move the ball, we're going to give ourselves a good chance to win every night."

In other early games, the New York Knicks lost star forward Kristaps Porzingis with a left knee injury in the third quarter but held on for a 111-104 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.

Although they were just across town from their Madison Square Garden Arena, for the Knicks it was a much needed road win -- just their second of the season.

Courtney Lee scored a season high 27 points for the Knicks. Michael Beasley, who replaced Porzingis, added 15 points and Turkish center Enes Kanter added 13 points with nine rebounds.

The Detroit Pistons, called out by coach Stan Van Gundy after dropping their seventh straight game on Tuesday, snapped their skid with an emphatic 105-91 victory over Hawks in Atlanta.

Andre Drummond scored 12 points, pulled down 19 rebounds and handed out nine assists for the Pistons.

"It's a little less burdensome now," Van Gundy said of ending the losing streak that had stretched over the first two weeks of December. "Maybe we just get back to playing basketball."

bb/jm

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Lonzo Ball makes history with triple-double

MILWAUKEE - Rookie Lonzo Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double but it was in vain as the Los Angeles Lakers lost 98-90 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Ball, who is 20 years, 15 days old, finished with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as the struggling Lakers lost their third straight game.

Ball completed the triple-double by getting his 10th rebound early in the fourth quarter. He had 13 points and 11 assists at the time.

He surpassed the mark set by LeBron James, who was 20 years, 20 days old when he recorded a triple-double on January 2005 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I really don't care," Ball said. "We took a loss. It don't really mean nothing. I just wanted to win tonight. I thought we were in good position to get it but it didn't happen."

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points to lead the Bucks, who also got 16 off the bench from Malcolm Brogdon at the Bradley Center arena. Khris Middleton added 13 points while Eric Bledsoe contributed 11 in his home debut for Milwaukee.

Kyle Kuzma led Los Angeles with 21 points and Julius Randle added 17.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Laker rookie Ball gets rolling against Suns

LOS ANGELES - What a difference a day makes for Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball who rebounded from a dreadful NBA debut to flirt with a triple double on Friday.

Ball had 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in his second NBA game to power the Lakers to a 132-130 win over the Phoenix Suns.

"We weren't proud of yesterday so we came out tonight and gave them a fight," said Ball, who scored six consecutive points late in the fourth quarter.

The highly-touted Ball shot one-of-six from the floor and finished with just three points in a 108-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

Ball missed his first three field-goal attempts and both free throws before making his only basket, a three-pointer, late in the first half.

Clippers Patrick Beverley maligned Ball after the game, saying he wanted to "welcome his little young a** to the NBA."

That was not the case for the league's second overall draft pick in June against the host Suns, as Ball turned up the heat on the Friday, shooting 12 of 27 from the field.

The Lakers led by 12 points in the fourth quarter before the Suns pulled within 122-119 on a Tyson Chandler tip-in with 3:22 left.

But Ball scored the next three Laker baskets, all on hard drives. The third basket put the Lakers ahead 130-122 with 1:35 left and Los Angeles then held on for the win.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ball pumped up as Lakers start season

When the Los Angeles Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in this year's NBA draft they didn't just get a skilled player they believe will take them to the playoffs, but a brand who will put the spotlight back on a fading franchise.

The newest face of the famed Lakers, Ball comes hyped, packaged and market ready for Hollywood, the Big Baller Brand selling seats and sneakers even before he has played a regular season game.


The 6-foot, 6-inch (1.98 metres) point guard, entrepreneur and aspiring rapper is not only preparing to take on the NBA's best but Nike, Adidas and Under Armour as well with his own Baller Brand apparel and shoe that comes with a Hall of Famer worthy $495 price tag.

Ball may not bring the Lakers a title this season but he has already brought them something nearly as important -- attention.

There is a no more competitive market place in North American sport than Los Angeles where getting noticed requires more than a 10-game winning streak.

As the Lakers prepare to open their season on Thursday against crosstown rivals the Clippers, there is already plenty of competition for sports fans dollars.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are closing in on a trip to the World Series while the National Hockey League and college football campaigns are well under way.

Two new National Football League teams, the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, have also set up shop since the Lakers last made the postseason in 2013.

Yet, despite a steady decline in the standings that reached rock bottom two seasons ago with a franchise-worst 17-65 record, the Lakers are once again the NBA's hottest ticket, on the secondary market at least, with sales up 130 percent over last year and much of that being traced to the Lonzo Ball affect.

"With the arrival of Lonzo Ball, Lakers fans have renewed hope in the future of their team, which is reflected in StubHub ticket demand," StubHub spokeswoman Jessica Erskine said. "While young prospects such as Ball and Markelle Fultz of the 76ers have yet to play a regular season game, their arrival can have a big impact on the ticket market, particularly for teams who haven’t made the playoffs lately.”

After one year of college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, Ball entered the NBA to howling hype, much of it delivered by his bombastic father and Big Baller Brand CEO LaVar Ball.

According to the elder Ball, his son's place with the Lakers had been ordained by the gods, that Lonzo was already better than two-time league most valuable player Steph Curry, would lead Los Angeles to 50 wins and back to the playoffs this season, picking up rookie of the year honours on the way.

"As far as changing the dynamic of the team, it's not just me, everybody is in here working trying to get better," said Ball, defusing his father's outlandish projections with a string of media trained responses. "I love just to play.

"We're focused on making the playoffs, obviously it is going to be a tough journey but we're looking forward to it."

While the senior Ball's predictions for his son are extreme, others have also set the bar high for Ball, who brings size and vision to Lakers.

That potential was on display during the NBA Summer League where Ball collected most valuable player honours.

A majority of NBA general managers also agree with LaVar Ball that Lonzo will take league rookie of the year honours.

In an annual poll conducted by NBA.com, Ball was the clear frontrunner for the rookie award with 62 percent of general managers, putting him ahead of second-place Ben Simmons with 24 percent. (Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: news.abs-cbn.com