The former Baby Lakers made their second return to Staples Center to play the purple and gold. While New Orleans’ showing was better than the last trip to Los Angeles, it ended all the same as the Lakers won 118-109.
The non-Zion Williamson highlight of the night featured past and present Baby Lakers in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. Early in the fourth quarter, Ball looked to have found himself open under the basket for a layup before Caruso flew into the picture and denied Ball emphatically. The block was one of a handful of momentum-changing plays made by Caruso in the win.
After the game, Caruso fielded plenty of questions about his highlight plays of the night and the victims of them, namely in former teammates in Ball and Josh Hart.
“The paint was just open and I knew he was about to go up and try to lay it in. Fortunatley he kind of double-clutched and gave me a chance and I got my hand on the ball and made a good play.
“I love those guys. We spent some good days together. But playing against them, I’m trying to win.”
Caruso finished the night eight points, eight assists and a game-high plus-minus of +20 in 17 minutes. Ball, meanwhile, struggled from the field by shooting 4-of-11 overall but still had a decent night by counting stats, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Ball and Caruso spent one season together in Los Angeles but played just three minutes together due to Caruso’s late surge onto the scene and Ball’s injury that ended his season. But the two, like the rest of the Baby Lakers, will forever be linked in some way.
The former Lakers in Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram expressed their feelings of their times in Los Angeles prior to the last meeting with each enjoying their time in California. But like Caruso, that has stopped them from competing at a high level in the meetings.
