The Los Angeles Lakers were looking to bounce back on Saturday night when they took on the New Orleans Pelicans in their second game of the Las Vegas Summer League. The Lakers notably dropped their opener on Thursday night in what was a close game that came down to the wire against top pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.
Lakers second-year wing Dalton Knecht did not suit up against the Pelicans as the organization looks to limit his workload after playing the first four games of the summer combining the California Classic and Las Vegas.
That gave an opportunity for other players to get more minutes and step up, and that’s exactly what they did as the Lakers cruised to a 94-81 victory over New Orleans. The win moved the Lakers to 1-1 in Las Vegas and 3-2 overall in Summer League.
As has been the case a lot so far, Cole Swider led the way offensively for L.A. with his shooting. He led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 4-of-9 from deep. He made an impact beyond just his scoring in this one though as the 26-year-old also contributed 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal.
After a relatively quiet first game in Las Vegas, Bronny James also bounced back in this one with 14 points, one rebound, three assists, two steals and a block. His dad LeBron James was in town to watch this game and support the Lakers.
Christian Koloko, who was added to the Lakers’ Summer League roster for Las Vegas, also contributed in a variety of ways. He finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks, although he did commit seven fouls. The limit to foul out in Summer League is 10.
Darius Bazley has had an impressive summer for the Lakers and that continued in this one. He may be making a legit case for a roster spot after filling up the statsheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a ridiculous five blocks.
Overall, it was a balanced scoring effort for L.A. with five players in double figures and six scoring at least nine points in the win.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers are unlikely to make the Las Vegas Summer League playoffs, but they are still guaranteed to play three more games. They will be back in action on Monday night against the L.A. Clippers at 7:30 p.m. PT and then on Thursday night against the Boston Celtics at 6 p.m. PT.
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