The Los Angeles Lakers have looked like one of the best teams in Las Vegas Summer League, showing off a well-rounded offensive attack coupled with a solid defensive effort.
However, their impressive run in Las Vegas came to an end as they suffered their first loss to the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles held a double-digit lead in the first half, but a poor third quarter marred by turnovers and missed shots spelled their doom as they lost to Boston 95-90.
The Lakers looked like they were going to cruise to their third-straight victory after a cohesive first quarter where they knocked down their outside shots and held the Celtics to 19 points. Los Angeles went into halftime up by 10 and appeared in control before they let their foot off the gas pedal in the third.
Unlike like the first half, the Lakers struggled to take care of the basketball. Boston switched over to a 2-3 zone that mucked up L.A.’s pick-and-roll offense, forcing them into more contested shots and out-of-rhythm 3s. However, the biggest difference was Jordan Walsh who was a pest defensively while also knocking down shots from all over the floor.
After a quieter game against the Charlotte Hornets, Max Christie bounced back to lead the Lakers in scoring with 24 points. As he’s shown all summer, Christie had plenty of good possessions handling the basketball, getting to his spots on the floor and keeping the offense on schedule.
The most impressive offensive player, though, was D’Moi Hodge who caught fire from the beyond the arc. Hodge managed to knock down six of his 13 3-point attempts and shoot 8-of-16 overall from the field. The undrafted guard has been a consistent source of offense for the Lakers, though his hot shooting night wasn’t enough to get the team out of their second half hole.
Jalen Hood-Schifino built on his solid game against the Hornets with another encouraging performance. Hood-Schifino scored 15 points while also adding four rebounds and three assists, but did shoot poorly as he went 7-of-20 from the floor.
Walsh was the hero for the Celtics as he led them in scoring with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Jay Scrubb pitched in with 18 points off the bench.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers finish their scheduled slate of games on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies. From there, they’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the teams fair before their next opponent is decided.
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