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Lonzo Ball receives praise from Cavs for how he reacted to sitting out
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- Lonzo Ball receives praise from Cavs for how he reacted to sitting out
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball is off to an encouraging start in 2026.
The Cavs will be thrilled if he can build on it.
Ball went from sitting the bench during the final two games of 2025 to blocking two Jamal Murray layups and draining two 3-pointers in a 113-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 2 at Rocket Arena .
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"Whenever I get in, I'm just trying to give good minutes," Ball told the Beacon Journal. "Made a couple shots today, so that helped. But, yeah, I think I played well tonight."
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Ball dropped out of Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson's rotation in wins Dec. 29 at the San Antonio Spurs and Dec. 31 against the visiting Phoenix Suns . Atkinson said he wanted to explore different combinations of players and ensure Ball stays "healthy and fresh," given the veteran's extensive injury history. Ball didn't play against the Spurs or Suns while Craig Porter Jr. filled the backup point guard role.
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"It's a make and miss league," Ball said. "I wasn't making shots. CP's been giving great minutes, so they went with CP, but that doesn't do anything to my mental. I'm going to come in whenever my name is called and try to play the best basketball I can."
Upon Ball's return to action, he produced one of his top performances since the Cavs acquired him this past offseason by trading small forward Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls . The teams agreed to the swap June 28 and announced it July 6.
Ball logged 15 minutes against Denver, scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field (all on 3-pointers) and tallied two blocks, three rebounds and two assists without a turnover. When Ball was on the court, the Cavs outscored the Nuggets by 11 points.
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"He's such a pro," Atkinson said. "And just my conversations with him over the past couple of days, he goes, 'I just love we're winning.' He goes, 'Whatever you need from me. You want DNP [did not play]? You want me to play? Whatever you need.'
"Listen, it's pro sports. He's got a reputation in this league. He could have a different slant, right? He's just about winning. He wants to win with his team. He'll do whatever's necessary and has been outspoken with me about that. [I] just respect [his approach]. So, I'm glad. It's almost like you get rewarded for your spirit and your attitude — team attitude."
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives on Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) on Jan. 2, 2026, in Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball helped Cavs limit Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in second half
Although the Cavs (20-16) won their third game in a row, they experienced serious problems on offense against the Nuggets (23-11) partly because Cleveland was thrown off by Denver's zone defense.
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"Our offense was just really bad," Atkinson said.
On the other end of the floor, Murray torched the Cavs for 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field in the first half before scoring six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the floor in the second half. Small forward Jaylon Tyson and Ball led the charge in harassing Murray as the Cavs blitzed him throughout the second half.
"He had pretty much 30 in the first half, but [we] slowed him down in the second," Ball said. "I think it was a team effort. We started trapping the ball more, picking him up full court, wearing him down a little bit."
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) looks to pass while being pressured by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and guard Lonzo Ball (2) on Jan. 2, 2026, in Cleveland.
With Nuggets center and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic idle because of a hyperextended left knee he suffered on Dec. 29, Murray finished with a game-high 34 points, followed by Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell with 33. During Mitchell's postgame media availability, he pointed to the defensive effort of Ball, Tyson and Porter as the difference in the game.
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"Zo has been out for two games, and now to come in and have the immediate impact, not just the 3-ball, but coming in, the play he had at the rim defensively, getting steals, getting stops, leading us — huge," Mitchell said.
Ball blocked a driving layup by Murray with 5:29 left in the second quarter and a fast-break layup by Murray with 6:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"He saved a bucket and transitioned at the rim," Atkinson said. "That was kind of playoff Zo. Like, that's what you're thinking when you think of Zo."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball (2) blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) on Jan. 2, 2026, in Cleveland.
Lonzo Ball stats
Drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, Ball has never appeared in an NBA playoff game. Since his arrival in Cleveland, he has expressed excitement about helping the Cavs during a postseason run.
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"Everybody knows that it's pretty much ring or nothing," Ball said in July.
Yet, the Cavs have been up and down this season, and Ball has struggled mightily. He entered the matchup against the Nuggets averaging 5.2 points on 29.9% shooting from the field (25.6% on 3-pointers), 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 23.2 minutes in 25 games with the Cavs.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball celebrates after a 3-pointer against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 19, 2025, in Cleveland.
Entering this season, Ball's career averages were 11.4 points on 39.8% shooting from the field (36.2% on 3-pointers), 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals.
Atkinson expressed hope Ball could "reset physically" by resting against the Spurs and Suns.
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"I knew I was going to try to get him some time [off] here," Atkinson said. "Then we go to San Antonio , we throw that lineup in and it works great. And it's like, 'Well, I'm going to keep sticking with it.' And he's, like, 'Yeah, keep that going.' So, we'll see what it looks like going forward. I think it's going to be mix and match and keep feeling it. But we know we've got a guy that's all about the team. He'll do whatever we ask — whatever we need."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball (2) blocks Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince (12) from a loose ball on Oct. 26, 2025, in Cleveland.
Ball, 28, said he feels good physically. He also said he has no negative feelings about sitting out back-to-back games.
"Whenever guys are called, we should all be ready to step up," he said.
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Like Atkinson, Mitchell commended Ball's stance.
"For him to continue to be who he's been and not pout, not be in bad spirits, that's a sign of a pro, right?" Mitchell said. "[He] comes in, does his work and then coming out here and impacting the game in ways he knows we needed was huge."
It's why Atkinson hasn't eliminated "playoff Zo" from his vocabulary. It's a version of Ball the Cavs still want to see in the spring.
"That's the reason I'm here," Ball said. "It's a long year. Got off to a slow start, but it's not going to hinder my emotions at all. I'm going to keep shooting open shots, and I think they're going to start falling. So, I'm here to play defense first and foremost, and that's definitely going to be needed come winning time."
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Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Lonzo Ball boosts Cavs in his return from two games out of rotation
