Written by Colin Ward-Henniger at CBS Sports.com
If there’s such thing as a coming out party in the summer league, that’s what Lonzo Ball had Wednesday night.
Ball scored 28 of his 36 points in the second half, dished out 11 assists and collected eight rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 103-102 comeback victory against the 76ers in the Las Vegas Summer League playoffs. He went 12 of 22 from the field, including 3 of 10 from 3-point range, and made 9 of 12 free throws.
It was the Lakers’ first victory with Ball in the lineup this summer, and they’ll advance to play the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Here are a few takeaways from the game:
The Zo Show
There’s one word that sums up Lonzo’s third summer league game: comfortable.
Ball looked like the player the Lakers expect him to be — pushing the tempo, making long lead passes to teammates, finishing at the rim when necessary and even hitting a couple of pullup 3-pointers. He provided plenty of highlights, but none more impressive than a full-court, one-handed pass to Kyle Kuzma for a dunk in the first quarter.
The Lonzo to Kuzma connection is still strong #LakersSummer (📺: @SpectrumSN & ESPN2) pic.twitter.com/cLiSkiBHbL
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 13, 2017
Hey, if basketball doesn’t work out, Lonzo could always test his arm as a quarterback.
Starting in the third quarter, Ball was the unquestioned alpha, scoring or assisting on seemingly every possession as the Lakers mounted their comeback. Ball even showed some uncharacteristic emotion after finishing an and-one to give his team the late lead.
Lonzo Ball with the clutch AND-1! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/OEpeTkuaGI
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 13, 2017
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