The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their first victory of the Las Vegas Summer League on Wednesday night, beating the Atlanta Hawks despite being without first-round pick Dalton Knecht.
The Hawks were also No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, which took a little bit of juice out of the contest. The game itself ended up being really good though as it was a close one at halftime before Atlanta came out strong in the third quarter, outscoring L.A. 31-19.
From what had been shown so far, most expected this Lakers Summer League squad to call it a night, especially with Knecht out. However, strong performances from Colin Castleton, Bronny James and Blake Hinson helped fuel a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Hawks.
Castleton had another double-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals on 8-for-9 from the field. James put together his first good shooting performance of his young career with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting, drilling two 3-pointers. He had previously started off 0-for-15 from deep this summer.
Hinson got his 3-point shots up as well, making four on 10 attempts, all coming in the second half as the Lakers mounted their comeback.
Now, L.A. plays the Cleveland Cavaliers in their penultimate game of the summer. It was announced on the ESPN broadcast during the game against that Hawks that Knecht would be back in the lineup on Thursday.
The Cavaliers’ last game was a 96-85 loss to the Golden State Warriors with Craig Porter Jr. leading the team in scoring with 14 points.
Secondarily, Emoni Bates had 13 points on 4-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Bates gained notoriety through his time in high school and experienced off-the-court issues that hindered him when it came time to be drafted.
Nonetheless, Bates and Porter will most likely see the most shot attempts with players like Luke Travers and Hunter Cattoor filing in. Some other noteworthy names are DJ Burns, who became a March Madness icon for NC State and also worked out for L.A. during his pre-draft process. They also have Zhaire Smith, who was selected back in the 2018 NBA Draft at No. 16 by the Philadelphia 76ers but has struggled to make it in the NBA so far.
This is a chance for the Lakers to pick up back-to-back wins and build some confidence during the latter half of Summer League after struggling to start. If they can do so, it could bode well for James and Knecht specifically knowing they can hang with NBA-level competition and picking up wins doing so.
Los Angeles Lakers (1-2) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2)
6:00 p.m. PT, July 18, 2024
Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: ESPN
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Sean East II
SG: Bronny James
SF: Dalton Knecht
PF: Maxwell Lewis
C: Colin Castleton
Key Reserves: Armel Traore, Blake Hinson, Trent Forrest, Tommy Kuhse
Projected Cavaliers Starting Lineup:
PG: Craig Porter Jr.
SG: Jaylon Tyson
SF: Luke Travers
PF: Emoni Bates
C: Pete Nance
Key Reserves: Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Hunter Cattoor, Dexter Dennis, Zhaire Smith
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