On a team full of quiet guys, Lonzo Ball might say the least.
Win or lose, the 22-year-old speaks in clipped sentences, always keeping the bigger picture in mind. At times, he is measured to a fault. So it was jarring to see genuine outbursts from him in his team’s 117-115 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
With a little less than eight minutes remaining, Ball skied for a rebound, dumped a pass off to Derrick Favors and watched his teammate flip in a layup and get fouled.
“AND ONE,” Ball yelled in celebration. He wore and ear-to-ear smile as Favors headed to the free throw line.
Right now, Ball is having fun. The third-year point guard has strung together three consecutive strong games, the latest a 24-point, six-rebound, 10-assist effort that helped the Pelicans salvage a two-game road trip to California. With Ball pushing the pace and knocking down 3s, the Pelicans have won six of eight games and crept back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
“This guy right here has been amazing in the last few weeks,” said JJ Redick, whose lefty scoop shot with 1.1 seconds left gave the Pelicans the lead for good in Sacramento, in his on-court interview with Fox Sports New Orleans. “His play is just at another level. He keeps doing that and we’ll be fine.”
Ball’s numbers in the past three games are impressive. He is averaging 24.7 points on 52.7% shooting from the field and 41.9% shooting from 3, 6.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals. He has showed off his revamped 3-point during this stretch, going 13 of 31 from behind the arc, and also a willingness to move without the basketball and put pressure on the defense before it can set up.
“He has our pace where we want it,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “He’s pushing the basketball and creating shots. And I think he’s been really solid defensively. He’s playing really good for us.”
Ball is constantly scanning the floor for a teammate to throw it ahead to. He’ll even catch defenses sleeping after made baskets. With four minutes to go Saturday, he threw a 75-foot chest pass to Josh Hart, who converted Ball’s setup into a three-point play.
He is also an underrated cutter. Watch him zoom into the play from off screen and lay in a nice pass from Hart.
“I know how to play the game of basketball,” said Ball, who scored 15 fourth-quarter points. “For me, it’s just making sure my body is good. It feels good right now.”
As a rookie, Ball played in 52 games as he dealt with shoulder and knee injuries. Last year, he appeared in only 47 games. His season was cut short when he suffered a severe left ankle sprain. Ball has missed time this season with a right adductor strain, but he has found a rhythm now that he's healthy.
Since Ball rejoined the starting lineup Dec. 23 in Portland, the Pelicans have earned wins over the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Pacers, Rockets and Kings. In the past six games, they are outscoring opponents by 13.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. Ball is controlling the pace of games like he did in his lone season at UCLA.
Favors’ return has also been an enormous factor in New Orleans’ turnaround. The veteran center, who took time off to deal with a personal tragedy in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a seasoned pick-and-roll defender and rim protector. He vacuums up misses. On offense, he’s a capable finisher around the rim and release valve.
On Saturday, both played heavy minutes in the fourth quarter, when the Pelicans put up 41 points to clip the Kings. Ball and Favors were heavily involved in the team’s final possession of the game. Favors set the screen that freed Redick up. Ball threw a pass on the money to Redick, who did the rest.
“He’s been great,” Redick said of Ball. “He’s really took off in terms of aggressiveness, pushing the pace, playing downhill. You know there’s really no hesitancy in his game right now. He’s in a really good place.”
"ball" - Google News
January 06, 2020 at 03:35AM
https://ift.tt/35lUQ7a
Lonzo Ball 'in a really good place' for surging Pelicans - NOLA.com
"ball" - Google News
https://ift.tt/39CKzGV
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment