In another thriller of an NBA game on Thursday night, the New Orleans Pelicans fell short against the Milwaukee Bucks by just four points. However, the Pelicans had a chance (multiple actually) to tie the game at the end, only to turn the ball over after Brandon Ingram was called for a charge.

At the end of the game, Lonzo Ball took it upon himself to take the blame on the Pelicans botched final possession:

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Ball said, via Lonzo Wire. “We got the steal. I should have just shot the ball. That’s really all it comes down to.”

Watching the play, it's obvious that someone should've shot the ball at some point. Both Ingram and Ball had open looks, only to pass the ball off to another teammate. However, Ball likely had the best look between the two.

Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy offered his opinion on the final play as well, claiming Lonzo had a great look at the end of the game:

“I thought the best look we had was Lonzo’s and he knows it. He was 6-for-10 from three tonight. I would have liked to have seen that one go up.”

This is a young Pelicans team still trying to figure out how to play together. At the end of the day, though, someone has to shoot the ball. It's tough to watch a team be so passive in the closing seconds of a game:

This year, Lonzo Ball is averaging 14.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. He's having one of his better years so far and has improved his 3-point percentage, shooting just over 40% from behind the arc, a career-high mark.

Look for Ball to learn from this mistake. Sometimes learning the hard way is the quickest route to improve. The Pelicans are currently ranked 11th in the Western Conference. Catch their next game on Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs.