In his first national television game, LaMelo Ball stepped up in the bright lights. Squaring off with brother Lonzo for the first time ever in a competitive game, LaMelo put on the show, finishing one assist shy of becoming the youngest ever in NBA history to record a triple-double.
Ball tallied his 10th rebound in the third quarter to go along with his 12 points on the night. Ball entered the final frame with seven assists before finding Terry Rozier for a three-pointer to pull within three points and Gordon Hayward for a 3-pointer three minutes later to go ahead by four points.
At 19 years and 139 days, Ball would have passed Markelle Fultz’s current record of 19 years, 317 days by nearly six months. While Ball did not accomplish the feat on Friday, he’ll have effectively the entire season and potential playoffs to possibly break the record.
In the one-on-one battle on the night, LaMelo got the better of Lonzo. Lonzo struggled on the night, finishing with just five points, three assists and two rebounds while shooting 2-of-8 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point territory.
LaMelo wasn’t efficient as a shooter on the night, going 4-of-11 himself from the field while connecting on just one of his five three-point attempts.