Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers came painfully close to beating the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for them, Stephen Curry’s heroics in overtime saved the day for the defending champions, who got the close win.

Ball was gracious in defeat post-game, though, hailing Curry as one of the best in the world and revealing what a pleasure it was to play against him.

Per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints:

Lonzo Ball on Steph Curry: “He is a great player. He is one of the best in the world. He proved that in overtime and carried the team to a win. But it is a lot of fun playing against him. You gotta be locked in the whole game and it’s a challenge I looked forward to.”

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While Ball’s dad LaVar might not be quite as respectful of Curry’s game, the Lakers rookie was right to recognize the two-time NBA champion and two-time MVP as one of the very best players in the world.

Lonzo more than held his own against Curry, though, as he put up 15 points and 10 assists in 43 minutes. He also had a nice moment during the game when he had Curry on skates with his dribbling skills.

Ball came up a bit short in his first meeting against Curry, but if he lives up to his potential, it could just be a matter of time before he gets the better of the two-time MVP and starts pushing for his inclusion into that list of the best basketball players in the world.