The Los Angeles Lakers will get a boost on Friday night when they take on the Dallas Mavericks.
Luke Walton said Lonzo Ball will play tonight on a minutes restriction. Walton said he is still deciding whether Ball will start or come off the bench.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) February 23, 2018
According to Mike Bresnahan of the Spectrum SportsNet, he won't be playing tomorrow though:
“Lonzo not playing tomorrow in second game of back-to-back because “it’s also part of our job to protect him from himself,” Luke Walton said. As in, ease him slowly back into games. Lakers’ next back-to-back isn’t until March 13-14.”
This will be the first time Lonzo has played in 15 games after suffering a sprained MCL. When Lonzo steps on the court Friday night though, this will be a different team than the one he played with before the injury. He won't have Larry Nance Jr. or Jordan Clarkson and instead, he will have Isaiah Thomas.
There has been much speculation about how exactly the two will be able to fit in with each other, but so far they both seem to be saying the right thing, although Thomas did make it clear he didn't want to come off the bench.
When Ball was asked about playing with Thomas, he seemed excited about the opportunity:
“That’s why I think it’s going to be fun. Opposites attract. I like to pass, he likes to shoot. So I think we’re going to work well…He can definitely help me on offensive end, just the way he comes off of screens, how he gets to his spots on the floor. So he definitely helps me a lot.”
They are both the type of point guards who need the ball in their hands, so if they are on the court at the same time, it will be important to watch who is the one running the show.
For Ball and Thomas, winning seems to be most important though, so if they are able to win games together for the Lakers, life should be good in Los Angeles.
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