LOS ANGELES_The Los Angeles Lakers had two players with prophetic basketball vision on the court at the time, so what happened might have been incredible, but it was fitting.
LeBron James threw a pass halfway up the court to Lonzo Ball, who jumped to catch the ball and while twisting in midair flipped it over to JaVale McGee for an easy basket.
"He was already ahead of the play," James said. "He seen JaVale streaking before I even threw him the ball. So those are things that you can't teach."
Said Ball: "He was ahead of everybody else, so I knew if (the ball)) came up to me, he was gonna be open. He was, JaVale is very good at running the lane, so he got out there in front of everybody and put it in."
Ball had a lot of those types of moments during a 114-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, on offense and defense. In addition to his 10 points, Ball had five steals and four assists, though he did commit five turnovers. Overall, his instincts impressed his teammates and coaches.
"I just try to play hard," Ball said. "A lot of people label me as not a defender for some reason, I don't know why, but I just try to go out there and do the best I can."
James referred to Ball's defensive skills as "cat-like."
Added Brandon Ingram: "He's done that since he was a rookie. I think he just has a knack for it, wherever the ball is gonna be. He's always in the right position."
When the Lakers get the best of Ball's instincts, they lead to the team being able to keep a fast pace at which they like playing. On Friday night, for example, the Lakers scored 31 fast-break points while Dallas had only 13.
