The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their first win of the season on Friday night. Lonzo Ball barely missed a triple-double and Brandon Ingram set a new career-high in points as the Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-130.
Ball led the Lakers with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists and really showed his toughness down the stretch as he took over when the Lakers needed it most. The Suns’ defense was non-existant and Ball took advantage all night as he made it to the rim for easy layups time after time.
While Ball finished well, it was Ingram who led them early on. He finished with 25 points and got off to an excellent start, with 10 quick points in the opening minutes of the game. Brook Lopez also added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Suns were led by Eric Bledsoe’s 28 points, and Devin Booker also narrowly missed a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. T.J. Warren added 24 points for Phoenix as well, who dropped to 0-2 this season.
The unsung hero for the Lakers on this night was Corey Brewer, who was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Luol Deng. Brewer took Booker out of the game with his defense and energy in the second-half, sparking an uptick in the Lakers’ energy overall, especially on that end of the floor.
In fact, Walton credited Brewer with setting the tone for the Lakers on the night. Larry Nance Jr. also enjoyed another strong game with 14 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Things got very tight down the stretch as the Lakers allowed Phoenix to have a chance to win at the last moment. Thankfully for the Lakers, Warren missed a pair of free throws allowing them to hold on.
Next up for L.A. is the rough big man duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis who lead the Pelicans to Staples Center on Sunday night.