PHOENIX -- Luke Walton came to Lonzo Ball's defense saying that his rookie point guard did not play as poorly as some might've said.
Ball backed his coach's words up by nearly becoming the youngest player in NBA history to post a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists to help the Lakers outlast the Suns, 132-130.
"I think Lonzo's getting a bad [rap] for getting destroyed his first game," Walton said before the Lakers won. "Personally, I thought he could have had a double-double with rebounds and assists [but] we didn't make any shots.