Upcoming NBA star Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers sat out from the game against Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. He suffered from calf tightening and had to be removed from the court during the third quarter.
The point guard received treatment for his calf tightening and is expected to play during the championship in the Las Vegas summer leagues by Monday evening but reports recently surfaced saying that he was not allowed to play for the last game in the Las Vegas summer league. The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the championship.
Ball talks about injury
Ball said in a statement to ESPN that it was the first time his calf got tight. He still felt stiffness during the interview, and the reason why he was removed from the game was because they wanted to be cautious. He said he hoped he could play by Monday.
Despite Ball sitting out for the rest of the Sunday semi-final game, Los Angeles Lakers won against Dallas Mavericks with a final score of 108 to 98.
Lakers Nation said that the mild calf strain in Ball's right leg prevented him from joining the championship game, despite his willingness and hope to play. The Lakers will have to make do with their other players Vander Blue and Alex Caruso if they want to win the championship against the Portland Trailblazers.
Lakers GM praises Ball
Before Ball exited the third quarter of the game over the weekend, Lakers’ General Manager Rob Pelinka said that there are so many great point guards in the league right now but he sees something different in the 19-year-old. Pelinka noted that Ball is changing the way point guards play as his style includes “pass first, getting your teammates going first.” He believes Ball will change the whole team.
Ball played well during the semi-final game. For the first two quarters, he scored 14 points and had 10 assists. If Ball were allowed to play during the championship game against Portland Trailblazers, it would have been his fourth game in five nights.
Ball a valuable asset to the Lakers
When Ball sat out for the rest of the third and fourth quarters, at one point, the Los Angeles Lakers only had one point lead from the Dallas Mavericks.
Ball said that he felt good on Sunday evening because he was making shots despite the calf tightening incident.
Other players recognized during Sunday’s game
Lakers’ rookie Kyle Kuzma also did well during the semi-final game. He scored 24 points, and five of them were three-point shots.
Dallas Mavericks’ Dennis Smith Jr. also played well during the game. He is a rookie point guard and he scored 21 points and added six assists.
