The Los Angeles Lakers did not have the usual suspects in Saturday’s Las Vegas Summer League finale against the Chicago Bulls. Without Bronny James, Maxwell Lewis and Dalton Knecht, the Lakers had to lean on some two-way and unknown players like Blake Hinson to lead them to victory.
Luckily, Hinson was more than up to the task. His big night — along with a surprise performance from Quincy Olivari — gave the Lakers their third win of Summer League, closing out the Las Vegas edition of summer basketball with a winning 3-2 record.
Hinson and Colin Castleton were the Lakers’ two recognizable starters, and Castelton wound up only playing 14 minutes in the big victory over the Bulls. With L.A. no qualifying for the playoffs, they did not want to risk injury with any of the players they deem as their future.
But Hinson made sure that his name would be remembered in the aftermath. He started early, scoring 13 first-quarter points in a 39-18 winning frame for the Lakers. As a team, the Lakers were 7-for-7 from 3-point range in the first quarter to jump out to the early lead.
Hinson finished with 25 points on 8-for-22 from the field and was a plus-18 on the evening. He had the green light all night long, going 5-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Olivari added 20 points of his own on 7-for-15 shooting and 6-for-13 from deep. He did most of his damage in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 in the game-clinching final period. The Bulls had started to make a bit of a run in the third quarter but Olivari ended that early in the fourth with back-to-back triples.
Grayson Murphy had an unconventional double-double in the win, scoring five points while adding 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 24 minutes off the bench. And while the Lakers main Summer League stars weren’t available for this outing, L.A. still got some key contributions from players trying to make a name for themselves. This could be a big thing for two-way players and for those looking to be members of the South Bay Lakers this season.
What’s Next for Lakers
The Lakers Summer League experience is over, as the team finishes with three consecutive wins after starting with an 0-3 showing at the California Classic and losing the first two games they played in Las Vegas. The next time the Lakers will be in action is preseason play in preparation for a new campaign.
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