Lonzo Ball and the New Orleans Pelicans flew out of the gate on Friday in a return home against the Cavaliers, scoring 43 points in the first quarter en route to a 116-104 win.
In that opening quarter, the Pelicans hit 18-of-24 from the field, 4-of-6 from three and had 15 assists on those 18 field goals. Ball was responsible for five of those assists and knocked down one of the three-pointers.
Ball finished with a final stat line of five points, 12 assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the victory.
The 12 assists for Ball represent the 13th time this season he’s finished with at least 10 assists. Ball’s season-high is 15 assists against Boston. The four steals, meanwhile, is one off his season-high of five against the Warriors in late December.
The highlight of Ball’s night against the Cavaliers actually began with a turnover from Ball. But after racing back on defense, Ball forced a steal to stop the fastbreak, ripping the ball away from Cedi Osman and starting a fastbreak the other way that was finished off with a huge throwdown from Jaxson Hayes.
