The hype for Lonzo Ball, which had dipped to dangerously low levels, might rebound a bit after tonight. All the elements were there for a breakout game: ESPN, Madison Square Garden, his dad dancing like a maniac in the front row, if Lonzo had scored 50 tonight they probably would’ve stopped the season right there and given the Lakers the championship with him winning MVP.
He didn’t score 50. 17 is pretty good for him though, and he showed the national TV audience that he is sometimes capable of not shooting the ball totally horribly. And that’s what you really want from him. Games shooting over 40 percent. We know he can do the other stuff. Like catching oops. He can do that. He did it again tonight.