Sixers fall to Lakers 103-102 as Lonzo Ball leads rally from 15 points down

LAS VEGAS – With a hyped mid-week crowd that was predominately Lakers fans there to see their prized rookie Lonzo Ball, it seemed nothing would have been able to distract them from their excitement to see the second overall draft pick at the Thomas and Mack center.

And then LeBron James walked into the arena just moments before tip-off and the attention shifted dramatically as everyone kept their eyes on him for the most part from his seat on the baseline. Pleads of "Come to L.A., LeBron" filled the quietness that sometimes filled the building.

Once James left his seat to begin the fourth quarter, the Lakers seemed to be re-energized as Ball scored 15 of his 36 in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to a 103-102 win after two free throws by Ivica Zubac with 4.6 seconds remaining. Ball also finished the game with 11 assists, eight rebounds, five steals and six turnovers. The Sixers will now play a consolation game on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.

The Sixers had taken a 102-101 lead with 5.9 seconds to go when James Blackmon, Jr. hit a driving layup. But the Lakers quickly got the ball to Zubac, who was fouled and made both free throws.

Furkan Korkmaz led the Sixers with 19 points, while Alex Poythress added 16, Larry Drew II 15 and Blackmon and Isaiah Briscoe both 12.

While the appearance of James toned down the excitement toward the game a bit, it was still a fun atmosphere and a good experience for the Sixers' young players.

"That's the fun of it," said summer league coach Lloyd Pierce. "Who doesn't want to play in a gym that's completely packed? We played the Lakers to start the season here in summer league last year, without Lonzo Ball and it was the same crowd. That's the beauty of the Lakers fans, they're only four or four and a half hours away from Las Vegas, it's an easy drive. It's a great organization with a lot of fan base. I don't think it's a distraction to have a lot of fans here, I think for everyone that's playing in Summer League it's an opportunity to play where the lights are on and there's a lot of noise. That's energy and adrenaline and a lot of fun."

Ball seemed to have the most fun this night, along with the Lakers' faithful.