Simmons dominates Ball in 1st meeting as rookies

It wasn't even close.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball looked every bit the part of a raw rookie, while Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons was a savvy veteran in their first-ever meeting Wednesday.

Simmons came just shy of a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists, and five steals as a plus-19 in 39 minutes, while Ball had two points on 1-of-9 shooting and was a minus-18. Philadelphia also came away with an entertaining 115-109 victory at the Staples Center.

It was yet another uneven performance for Ball, as most of his problems stemmed, once again, from his unsightly jumper. The Sixers dared him to shoot, and while Ball didn't shy away from the challenge, everything out of his hands was a brick. His lone bucket came on a fluky flip layup in traffic.

Ball lost his confidence by the second half. He tossed up a pair of bricked threes in the third quarter, then fell asleep on defense while hanging his head and allowed a backdoor layup - off an assist from Simmons.

He was immediately pulled and didn't see the floor in the fourth quarter yet again as Lakers coach Luke Walton opted for a better option in Jordan Clarkson.

It was the opposite for Simmons, who opened the game with a blow-by on Ball for an easy jam. He got to his spots with ease, diced up the defense with decisive drives to set up teammates, was a menace in the passing lanes, and came up clutch in the final frame with a pair of hook shots and a nice cut for a reverse layup.

Simmons was the No. 1 pick in 2016, but sat out his first season to recover from foot surgery. Ball was selected second overall this summer after a stellar campaign at UCLA. The two players were initially tabbed as the favorites to win Rookie of the Year, but the gap between the two was on full display in their first showdown.