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Andrew LopezESPN
NEW ORLEANS – It was the little brother night on Friday at the Smoothie King Center – and almost a historic night.
Charlotte Hornets keeper LaMelo Ball has become almost the youngest player in NBA history to score a triple-double, scoring 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 118-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans and the big brother Lonzo Ball scored.
LaMelo, at 19, 139 days, would have surpassed Markelle Fultz (19 years, 317 days) to become the youngest ever to achieve the feat.
The win for the youngest Ball brother or sister against his big brother was even sweeter, as LaMelo helped the Hornets come back with an 18-point deficit. His assist to Gordon Hayward with 3:44 to play gave Charlotte a four-point cushion.
The performance was reminiscent of Lonzo’s second career game for the Los Angeles Lakers, when he also became almost the youngest player to post a triple double (29 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists). On Friday, Lonzo, now 23, finished with just five points, three assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal.
LaMelo said it was ‘cool’ to be able to share the floor with his brother, but that he was also happy that his team was able to win. He noted that he was also not scared on national TV for the moment.
“Not at all. I’ve been doing this for a minute now,” LaMelo said after the win. “I’ve had ESPN games since I was a kid. So it was normal.”
Charlotte Borrego, Charlotte’s coach, said LaMelo played ‘free and easy’ throughout the match.
“It’s kind of what we expect from him,” Borrego said. “It’s like he’s done it before, he’s been there before. He’s not excited at the moment. I’m just proud of him. He’s a fantastic player. He’s giving our team strength. He’s bringing us a lot. confidence, which we need, sometimes I thought he was fantastic. ‘
As Lonzo put it on Thursday, it was the first ‘real’ match the two have ever played against each other – outside of some 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 matches in the backyard of their home while children were.
As LaMelo gets Hornets off the bench, their first appearance on Friday only came when he clocked in at the first quarter of 6:38. The two only guarded each other for a handful of possessions, but a baby brother managed to get the best of Lonzo a few times, while wrapping Lonzo halfway through the second quarter and the third with a deep 3 – points with his brother at him.
“It was just a side step and I pulled the 3,” LaMelo explained.
Before the game, Borrego was asked to compare the two, who were the first brothers ever to be selected each in the top 3 of the NBA draft.
“I think they are leaders out there,” Borrego said. “They have a good vision. You can see that they know the game at a high level. I think that’s the general thread, because they both understand the game at a high level and that their teammates like to be with them. “I think that’s the biggest thing.”
LaMelo also became the second youngest Hornet to record a double-double, with only Michael Kidd-Gilchrist doing so at a younger age.
No matter what the outcome, Friday night’s game was a lifelong dream for the siblings.
“When we were younger, we always talked about it,” LaMelo said Thursday. “We always knew we were going to go to the league. Now the time has finally come. We are both excited.”