Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram to Miss Lakers' Christmas Day Game vs. Wolves
Lonzo Ball's Christmas debut will have to wait, as Ball and Brandon Ingram have been ruled out for the Lakers' Christmas Day game against the Timberwolves.
An MRI showed that Ball has a sprained left shoulder, and he'll miss at least a week before he is reevaluated. Ball, whose off-court ventures and boisterous father have put him under intense scrutiny, has had an up-and-down season but has been playing better of late.
The number two pick in the 2017 draft, Ball is averaging 10.0 points, 7.1 assists and 6.9 rebounds for the season. He's shooting just 35% from the field and 30% from three, but Ball has shot 44% from the field and 44% from behind the arc in his last five games.
Ingram will miss his second striaght game due to problems in both his quadriceps. He has a contusion on his right quadriceps and is dealing with tendinitis in his left quadriceps. The second-year player out of Duke, who was the second pick in the 2016 draft, is averaging 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 45% from the field and 34% from three.
Ball's and Ingram's absence means that another member of the Lakers' promising young core, Kyle Kuzma, will take on an added scoring load. Kuzma, whom the Lakers drafted 27th overall out of Utah in this year's draft, is averaging 25.6 points and 8.2 rebounds over his last five games. His emergence has been one of the Lakers' bright spot this season, at it appears they picked up a terrific young scorer at the end of the first round.
Monday marks the 19th consecutive year that Lakers have played on Christmas Day.
