As the Los Angeles Lakers prepared for the Sacramento Kings, Lonzo Ball suffered a mild ankle sprain when he landed on Tyson Chandler’s foot during the scrimmage portion of practice.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton wasn’t certain of Ball’s status when he discussed the injury with media, but was optimistic. Ball wanted to play after participating in shootaround and was eventually cleared against De’Aaron Fox and the Kings.
In 20 minutes on Saturday night, Ball finished with just 4 points (2-of-10 shooting), 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Following the 101-86 win over the Kings, Ball revealed he tweaked his ankle in the first quarter.
With the Lakers hosting the Atlanta Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back, Ball is determined to play, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers:
Lonzo said he tweaked his ankle in the 1st Q, but played through it, obviously. It was a bit sore postgame, but he said he’s playing tomorrow against Atlanta.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 11, 2018
It remains to be seen if Ball will actually play as the Lakers have a history of being extremely cautious with injuries. While the 21-year-old tried to play through the injury, it was clear he was not 100 percent against the Kings.
If Ball is limited or cannot play, Rajon Rondo is expected to see extended minutes. Against the Kings, he finished with 6 points (2-of-9 shooting), 4 rebounds and 7 assists in 28 minutes.
Unlike Ball’s rookie season, he can afford to take some time to fully recover. As the Lakers pride themselves on having multiple ball handlers, Brandon Ingram and Lance Stephenson have shown they are capable of handling that responsibility.