Coming off a win against the San Antonio Spurs to close the California Classic, the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Nevada to take part in 2025 Las Vegas Summer League.
The Lakers drew the main event against Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, setting up a showdown between Bronny James and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. James had previously made his debut earlier in the California Classic, but this was the first opportunity for fans to get a look at Flagg in NBA action.
While James didn’t initially start out guarding Flagg, the two found themselves matched up a couple of times much to the delight of the Thomas & Mack Center crowd. There was a sequence where James poked the ball away from Flagg but the latter responded by draining a jumper over him.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, they couldn’t quite get over the hump as another disappointing third quarter was too much for them to overcome. The Lakers lost to the Mavericks 87-85, though they had a chance to win as James missed a 3-pointer on the team’s final possession.
Cole Swider has been on a heater from the field all summer and his hot shooting continued in the Las Vegas desert. While all the attention was on James anad Flagg, Swider was the primary source of offense for Los Angeles who did a good job finding him for quality shots.
Swider’s 3-point shooting opened up the half court offense for his teammates and kept the Dallas defense honest every time they tried to pack the paint on drives. Swider led the team in scoring with 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal. All six of his made field goals were from beyond the arc.
Dalton Knecht had a solid encore performance after breaking out against the Spurs as he remained aggressive shooting the basketball. Knecht was knocked down his first triple of the night and from there seemed to be in a good rhythm.
Knecht did well to attack closeouts and keep the basketball moving, though he was unable to finish the game after suffering what appeared to be a leg cramp. Knecht’s ended with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will continue their Summer League schedule with a game on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans. They’ll then take on the L.A. Clippers on Monday.
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