Will Lonzo Ball be able to slow down Stephen Curry?

The Golden State Warriors are set for a Christmas day showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. Will Lonzo Ball be able to slow down Stephen Curry?

Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers is slowly becoming an elite perimeter defender. He has been a nightmare for opposing point guards all season. However, will he stand a chance against two-time MVP Stephen Curry?

Curry is the best point guard in the league and arguably the greatest offensive talent the NBA has ever seen. His 3-point shooting has transcended basketball and changed the game as a whole. He has had multiple record-breaking seasons and is in the middle of perhaps his greatest campaign yet.

Heading into this game, Curry is averaging 29.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He is knocking down a career-high 5.1 3-pointers a game and is shooting 46.5 percent from deep. Behind Curry’s offensive onslaught, the Warriors have achieved the second best record in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, Ball is making a name for himself on the defensive end of the floor. He has locked up a number of different star point guards and is displaying a high IQ on defense. His defensive rating of 106.2 makes him one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Ball has held opponents to just 36.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. In general, opponents shoot a lower percentage than usual against Ball from any distance beyond 10 feet from the hoop.

So far, Ball and Curry have only faced off against each other one time. In this game, Lonzo put up 15 points and 10 assists while holding Curry to just 3-of-7 (33.3 percent) shooting from beyond the arc and 9-for-20 (45.5) overall. Steph finished with 28 points and the win.

This time around, Lonzo will be playing with increased confidence against Curry as he is no longer going through a rough rookie season. This showdown will be interesting to watch unfold and I’m sure both players are ready for the challenge.