LaMelo Ball opens Timberwolves career with 21 points and 6 assists, plus an outrageously bad missed travel - Yahoo Sports
LaMelo Ball made his Minnesota Timberwolves debut with a strong performance, though he drew criticism for a missed travel call during the game. The NBA later confirmed the officiating error regarding the four-step play.
Why it matters
Highlights the intersection of high-stakes professional sports performance and the ongoing discourse surrounding officiating accuracy in the NBA.
The Minnesota Timberwolves look like a problem with LaMelo Ball aboard. Especially if he's allowed to take more than four steps with the ball.
After landing the All-Star point guard in one of the offseason's biggest trades, the Timberwolves began their season with a 131-106 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat on Wednesday .
Anthony Edwards (45 points) and Antetokounmpo (35) led their respective teams in scoring, but Ball himself had a nice Minnesota debut with 21 points, 6 assists and 2 steals. He also had the play everyone was talking about, but not necessarily for a good reason.
During the second quarter, Ball had an open court in front of him but opted to step back for a 3-pointer. At first glance, it might have looked like a normal shot to some people. It was certainly treated as normal, with no whistle from the officials.
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