Ball, the Lakers rookie point guard and their great hope for the middle future, at least, had one of the more traumatic weekends of his NBA career so far as his team lost again, and again, to the Nuggets and the Rockets. The Lakers have lost five games in a row, which is bad news even in a season when losing is mostly okay, if it comes with promise attached. On Saturday, against the Nuggets, Ball registered nine points, nine rebounds, nine assists and five turnovers as the Lakers collapsed in the fourth quarter.