Thriller over the Wizards
Ball vs. Wall battle takes back seat to Ingram-Beal show in Lakers’ OT win.
This game was supposed to be about the point guards, about Lonzo Ball and John Wall, a rookie and a veteran who wanted to provide the rookie with a rude welcome to the NBA.
Instead, the Wizards’ other guard took over late in the game, with Bradley Beal scoring 17 of his 28 points in the second half and overtime.
The Lakers’ other second overall pick, Brandon Ingram, propelled his team in crunch time. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.
Wall, who finished with 18 points, took the final shot of the game with Ball assigned to him, and missed.
The Lakers beat the Wizards 102-99 at Staples Center on Wednesday.
It was Washington’s first loss after starting the season 3-0. The Lakers improved to 2-2, with wins over Washington and Phoenix.
On Sunday, Ball’s father, LaVar, declared that the Lakers would win Wednesday.
On Monday, Wizards big man Marcin Gortat said Wall would torture Ball all night.
The Lakers made the Wizards pay for that.
“Our guys were more locked in tonight,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “It shouldn’t be anything to do with that. I did bring it up in shootaround today; it’s nothing personal, but we defend each other.
“If people want to talk about our players, we should be offended. … We’re not just going to [take it]. I don’t know if that was part of it, but our guys were much more locked in tonight.”
Ingram finished with 19 points on eight-of-16 shooting with 10 rebounds.
Julius Randle scored 11 points and had nine rebounds in 18 minutes. He played most of the fourth quarter and all of overtime, making a critical block on Wall in overtime and scoring the Lakers’ final points on an uncontested dunk.
“We don’t win that game without him,” Walton said.
Larry Nance Jr. put on a show in the first half with 14 of his 18 points and nine of his 10 rebounds during that period.
Ball missed all but two of his shots, one make coming in overtime to tie the score at 94. He had a two-of-11 shooting night — missing all five of his three-pointers — with 10 assists and eight rebounds. In an early highlight, a rookie got the best of a star.
Ball stripped the basketball from Wall as he drove toward the basket, then he threw the ball the length of the court to Ingram, who took some contact and scored.
The Lakers led throughout the entire first quarter by as many as eight points, but Washington took a seven-point lead in the second quarter and a 10-point lead in the third.
They still led by 10 late in the fourth when the Lakers made a late push, going on a 10-0 run to tie the score with 3:26 left.
The run included a threepointer from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a tip-out from Brandon Ingram to bring the Lakers within two and a midrange jumper by Ingram to tie the score at 85.
The Wizards countered that run with a 6-0 run.
Later, with less than a minute to go in the game and his team down four, Ball pounced at the basketball after Beal missed a shot, cradled the rebound, then raced up the court all the way into the paint on the opposite end of it, and kicked the ball out to Randle.
Randle isn’t known as a shooter, but for one moment he gave his team just what it needed.
He sank a three-pointer to bring the Lakers within one point of the Wizards.
Ingram later tied the score with 0.7 seconds left to send it into overtime.
tania.ganguli@latimes.com Twitter: @taniaganguli