The California Classic continues on Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers seek out their first win of Summer League play, taking on the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers are playing on the Warriors; home court at the Chase Center in San Francisco and look to even out the standings by beating the 1-0 Golden State California Classic roster.
The Warriors crushed the Miami Heat on Saturday by a 105-66 final score. While former Laker Cole Swider and first-round pick Kel’El Ware had strong games for Miami, there were no match for a Warriors team that had four players in double figures.
Golden State is led by Daeqwon Plowden, a 25-year-old undrafted free agent who played five years of college basketball at Bowling Green. They also got impressive performances from Ethan Thompson and Pat Spencer in their opener. Thompson, a four-year player at Oregon State, led the way with 27 points off the bench.
And while the Lakers did suffer a 14-point loss at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, they still have a strong core of players, even if they are much younger than Golden State’s impact players.
They have draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, who shot a combined 5-for-21 from the field in the loss on Saturday. While Knecht looks to bounce back, James isn’t getting that opportunity as he is being held out due to swelling in his left knee.
L.A should now lean pair of Saturday’s bench players — Blake Hinson and Tommy Kuhse — who led the way in scoring with 17 and 15, respectively. The second-year players, Colin Castleton and Maxwell Lewis, are also hoping to make a greater impact in Game 2.
Lewis, in particular, came out strong in the first game with 10 first quarter points. He only finished with 14 though so will look to make a bigger impact in the second half on Sunday.
The Lakers have an intriguing Summer League roster that should be able to win some games, but they’ll have to show up in much different fashion against a team of older players coming off of a 39-point victory.
Considering they haven’t played much together though, the main focus is on continuing to get reps and flashing what they are capable of to make an impression of the front office and other teams around the league.
Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) vs. Golden State Warriors (1-0)
3:30 p.m. PT, July 7, 2024
Chase Center, San Francisco, California
TV: NBATV, ESPN+
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Tommy Kuhse
SG: Dalton Knecht
SF: Maxwell Lewis
PF: Armel Traore
C: Colin Castleton
Key Reserves: Blake Hinson, Mohamed Diarra, Sean East II, Quincy Olivari
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Pat Spencer
SG: Daeqwon Plowden
SF: Reece Beekman
PF: Jackson Rowe
C: Marques Bolden
Key Reserves: Ethan Thompson, Roman Sorkin, Donta Scott
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