The Los Angeles Lakers earned their first victory of the summer when they beat the Atlanta Hawks, but they didn’t have much time to celebrate as they were right back at it at Thomas & Mack Center when they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second night of a back-to-back.
Like the Lakers, the Cavaliers have struggled to win games during Summer League but have some intriguing pieces on their team. Los Angeles fell behind in the first half after a cold period, but they rallied near the end of the third quarter to make it a game in the fourth. Fortunately for the purple and gold, they were able to make enough plays on both sides of the court to pull of their second victory of Las Vegas Summer League.
Dalton Knecht returned to the lineup after missing last game and picked up where he left off, attacking the basket with conviction and letting it fly from deep. It seemed like when the offense stalled out, Knecht was there to bail them out and keep them within arm’s reach.
Knecht led Los Angeles in scoring with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, but he also contributed by pulling down seven rebounds. The rebounding, in particular, was crucial, as Knecht came down with an offensive and defensive board in the final minute to seal the game.
Bronny James broke out of his shooting slump against Atlanta and managed to keep the momentum going against Cleveland. James looked much more asserting with the basketball in his hands, looking for his own shot in certain cases instead of deferring to teammates.
James had a couple of crafty finishes at the rim, including a lefty scoop layup that drew a reaction from the crowd. However, his biggest play of the night came midway through the fourth quarter when he buried a stepback 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead.
It was the best all-around James has played as he recorded 13 points to go along five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Lastly, Colin Castleton had another great game as he acted as more of a facilitator than scorer. Castleton finished with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
What’t next for Lakers
The Lakers will close out Las Vegas Summer Leauge on Saturday when they play against the Chicago Bulls.
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