On Tuesday, we announced the start of the Lonzo Ball March Madness Best Game Bracket, a tournament designed to have fans vote for Ball’s best game of his albeit brief career.
In the first game of the bracket, the top-seeded game of Ball’s rookie performance in Phoenix takes on one of Ball’s most dynamic games of his career in his second season against Denver.
No. 1 seed – Lakers vs. Phoenix, Oct. 20, 2017
Ball had plenty of pressure heaped on him coming into the NBA as the No. 2 overall pick. His debut against the Los Angeles Clippers, though, could hardly have gone worse as he had just three points on 1-of-6 shooting.
There was no time to sulk, though, as the Lakers made the quick trip to Phoenix one night later for the second game of a back-to-back. Without the national television attention and the pressure drastically diluted, Ball looked far more comfortable throughout the game.
By the fourth quarter, Ball was in a groove and knocked down clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch to help the Lakers earn a 132-130 win.
No. 8 seed – Lakers vs. Nuggets, Oct. 25, 2018
The beauty of Ball’s playstyle is that he does not need the ball to be impactful. Never was that more apparent than in the game against the Nuggets early in his sophomore season.
Statistically, the game looks like a typical Ball game as he had 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds. But his five steals give a peak behind how great he was on the defensive end and how much he impacted the game on both ends of the court.
His performance helped the Lakers earn a seven-point win over Denver in one of the more unique games of his career.
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