Hamstrung by injuries throughout his career, Lonzo Ball exited Wednesday’s game for the New Orleans Pelicans against the Washington Wizards with some worry. Ball limped off the court after appearing to twist his ankle on the defensive end late in the first half and, after initially being listed as questionable to return, did not come out of the locker room for the second half.
After the game, which the Pelicans won 124-106, head coach Stan Van Gundy provided an optimistic update on Ball’s status.
“They’re pretty happy with the way he looked after the game,” he said of the medical staff. “He got treatment during the second half and (he’s) responding pretty well. We obviously don’t know the total picture and they’ll look at him again tomorrow but they were pretty positive about it after the game.”
Ball was impressive in his brief time on the court on Wednesday. In 16 minutes, Ball had a plus-minus of +23 and finished with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting overall and 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point territory with four assists and two rebounds.
His performance drew the praise of teammates Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, which is particularly noteworthy given Ball was included in trade rumors on Tuesday.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are set for a doubleheader over the weekend with home games against the Bucks and Rockets on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
