Getty Lonzo Ball
The Chicago Bulls shined in their home opener on Friday night at the United Center with a 128-112 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Zach LaVine was the leading scorer, but after the game, it seemed Bulls Twitter was most abuzz about the play of point guard Lonzo Ball.
He messed around and had a triple-double against his former team.
Twitter Reacts to Lonzo Ball’s Triple-Double
The appreciation for Ball’s triple-double performance came from a variety of places. Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score pointed out a sweet aspect of Ball’s performance in his tweet.
It’s worth noting — Lonzo Ball didn’t turn the ball over once amid his 17-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double as he played a team-high 35 minutes.
#Bulls have been burned too often by turnover troubles in recent years.
When you consider how much a player has his hands on the ball en route to a triple-double, you can better appreciate a player who accomplishes the feat without turning the ball over. Ball has indeed looked like the point guard the city of Chicago has been missing since Derrick Rose was in town, and healthy.
Long-time NBA insider Chris Palmer highlighted the strong night for Lonzo and his little brother LaMelo Ball. Both Ball brothers had 17 points, but on this night the oldest Ball brother had the edge in rebounds and assists. As you can see from Palmer’s tweet, both got the victory and LaMelo’s Charlotte Hornets are 2-0 like Lonzo’s Bulls.
While Ball’s triple-double in the home-opener was fantastic, NBC Sports’ Christopher Kamka pointed out the Bulls’ point guard was not the most statistically gaudy performance the organization has ever seen from a player in their first two contests with the organization.
The late Nate Thurmond had one of the rarest games in NBA history in his Bulls debut.
Lonzo Ball is not the first #Bulls player with a triple-double within his first 2 games with the team.
Nate Thurmond had a QUADRUPLE DOUBLE in his Bulls debut 10-18-1974
Ball was already popular before season began, but the way he has played through the first two games of the regular season is going to take his appeal to another level in Chicago.
Camron Smith of Stadium predicts the run on Ball’s Bulls jersey is coming.
Stores need to put more orders in for Lonzo Ball jerseys in Chicago.
Get ahead of things now…
Smith is correct. I bought mine last week.
It looks as if Ball is as happy this year as he’s ever been in his NBA career. ABC-7’s Mark Schanowski believes Ball’s “enthusiasm” can be seen on the court. Schanowski also talked about what Ball’s “court vision” does to help the team’s offensive attack.
Lonzo Ball has been excited about coming to Chicago since Day 1, and that enthusiasm is showing in his play. First triple double in a Bulls uniform. His court vision gives Billy Donovan’s offense a whole new dimension. Impressive performance tonight.
Recapping the Bulls’ Triumphant Home Opener
Ball’s triple-double without a turnover was a big part of the Bulls’ win on Friday night. However, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Javonte Green and Nikola Vucevic all deserve a shoutout for the way they played.
Early in the game, LaVine’s shot wasn’t falling. In fact, he wouldn’t scratch until midway through the second quarter. During that time. DeRozan carried the offense en route to a 26-point performance in his first game as a member of the Bulls at the United Center.
LaVine got cooking in the second quarter as he reeled off 20 points in the final six minutes of the half. He finished with 32 on an incredibly efficient night from the field (11-of-19 from the field and 6-of-9 from three and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line). Vucevic didn’t shoot well, but he bodied up against Jonas Valunciunas in the post and did a great job boxing out to grab rebounds, or to leave them for the Bulls’ wings to gobble up.
Finally, Green was a spark plug for the Bulls. His manic sequences in the second quarter helped the Bulls extend the lead and take full control of the game.