The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas without rookie Lonzo Ball.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today, the team’s second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is said to be nursing a groin injury and will not be in uniform tonight for the Summer League showdown with fellow rookie De’Aaron Fox:
Summer League letdown: I'm told Lakers' Lonzo Ball will rest a sore groin tonight & miss a faceoff/rematch against Kings' De'Aaron Fox.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 10, 2017
After a forgettable debut in Summer League against the Los Angeles Clippers, Ball bounced back with an impressive performance against the Boston Celtics. The former UCLA star recorded his first triple-double for the purple and gold but was unable to lead the team to victory over the Celtics on Saturday.
Monday’s matchup with the Kings was a highly anticipated one with it being the first time Ball and Fox would go head-to-head since the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Ball’s Bruins struggled to keep up with the Kentucky Wildcats as Fox erupted for 39 points.
With Ball ruled out, the Lakers have suffered three injuries in Summer League play. Brandon Ingram dealt with leg cramps in the first game against the Clippers which ended his second Summer League campaign and the following night rookie Josh Hart suffered a sprained ankle making him unavailable for tonight’s game against Sacramento.
The attention will now turn to rookies Kyle Kuzma and Thomas Bryant as well as second-year center Ivica Zubac. Kuzma has played well in Summer League thus far averaging 20.0 points per game and could have a breakout performance tonight while shouldering the load for Ingram and Ball.
