LaMelo Ball is averaging triple-double with LA Ballers but still struggling with threes

ONTARIO, Calif. — LaMelo Ball was credited with a whopping 19 assists Thursday night during the Los Angeles Ballers’ victory over the Philadelphia Ballers, and that total probably excluded this:

In the second half, he fired up a three-point attempt that missed the basket and fell into the hands of his brother LiAngelo Ball, who turned the airball into a layup on his way to 53 points in the 171-140 victory.

The moment highlighted a statistical oddity for LaMelo Ball, billed as the marquee player during the inaugural season of the Junior Basketball Association. Through five games, he is averaging a triple-double — 37.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game — but his struggles from long range continue.

On three-point attempts, LaMelo Ball is 6-for-49.

He was 3-for-32 through three games, and in the past two games, he is 3-for-17, which remarkably enough raised his three-point shooting “accuracy” to 12.2 percent from 9.4 percent.

As a team, Los Angeles isn’t faring much better, shooting 20.2 percent (37-for-183) from three-point range.

But with their run-and-gun style, the Los Angeles Ballers remain the highest-scoring team in the freewheeling league while averaging 134.6 points per game and winning three of their five games.