The Los Angeles Lakers unsurprisingly played their third preseason game without Lonzo Ball, but they also were without Rajon Rondo against the Sacramento Kings. Head coach Luke Walton explained that was simply to give the veteran point guard a night of rest.
Meanwhile, the story remained the same with Ball. He’s said to be fully recovered from offseason knee surgery, and his yet to play in a preseason game is due to the Lakers exercising caution. Ball recently participated in a full-court 4-on-4 scrimmage.
And though he and Rondo did not play in the Lakers’ third preseason game, the two point guards went through practice on Thursday. It included competing against Lakers assistant coaches Miles Simon and Brian Shaw in around the world.
Josh Hart and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk were also involved, but the three-point shooting competition ultimately boiled down to the coaches and point guards.
Despite Ball’s well-documented shooting struggles, and Rondo being known more as a facilitator than spot-up shooter, they gained bragging rights on Simon and Shaw. After Rondo knocked down his attempt, Ball put the dagger in the Lakers coaches from the corner.
Simon and Shaw regularly competed against Ball and Kyle Kuzma last season, and recently went up against Ball and Mykhailiuk.
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