The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night at the Staples Center with Joel Embiid finishing with a career-best performance with 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and seven blocks. Lonzo Ball, however, had a game he'd like to forget with the rookie point guard struggling from start to finish.
After 21 minutes on the floor, head coach Luke Walton felt it was time to pull the plug on Ball. The 20-year-old was benched for the rest of the game with only time to think about another ugly shooting night in which he went 1-for-9 from the floor.
In the locker room following the game, Ball's disappointment in his performance was evident. The UCLA admitted that his struggles shooting the basketball have started to take a toll.
“Usually I won’t let it affect me, but tonight I did, missing layups, just a bad night,” Ball said.
With the Lakers still within striking distance and battling back and forth with Ben Simmons and company, Ball was left to reflect on what he needs to improve on while supporting his teammates.
“I was just watching the game, trying to encourage my teammates whenever they came to the side,” Ball said of his fourth-quarter benching.
A few of Ball's teammates, however, including fellow rookie Kyle Kuzma, were have career nights. Kuzma finished with a career-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds while Brandon Ingram also had a memorable performance with 26 points which was also a career high.
As for Ball, the struggle continues as he tries to figure out a way to get back on track with his shooting and scoring. The rookie will get a chance to rebound quickly from the loss to the 76ers with the Lakers set to host the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at the Staples Center.
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