The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to finish out the second annual California Classic strong when they take on the host Sacramento Kings.
This is the final day of the California Classic as the Lakers will take the Fourth of July off before the start of the Las Vegas Summer League on July 5.
A win in this game would mean the Lakers finish this iteration of Summer League with a record of 2-1, which could be a momentum boost heading into the far more publicized Las Vegas Summer League. This is the first Summer League in recent memory where the Lakers don’t have a first round draft pick on their roster, meaning they won’t be taken quite as seriously as they have been in past years.
The Lakers are also still without the services of the No. 46 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Talen Horton-Tucker. Horton-Tucker is not able to play in the California Classic due to a minor stress reaction, but he’ll be re-evaluated before Las Vegas.
In their first game, the Lakers were dominated by the Miami Heat, 106-79. However, in their second game, they showed a bit more fight, defeating the Golden State Warriors, 100-90.
Zach Norvell Jr. did his best to prove why he was deserving of his two-way deal, scoring 20 points and grabbing five rebounds while shooting 7-of-10 from the field.
Of course, results don’t really matter in Summer League, but it’s always nice for young players to get wins and boost their confidence, especially with how much of an event the Las Vegas Summer League has become. And if Horton-Tucker can come back, perhaps the Lakers can make some noise at the Thomas and Mack Center.
For this game against the Kings, they’ll still be without him. This means that Norvell will likely remain the leader in the clubhouse for the time being. Him and Devontae Cacok made for a formidable duo in the Warriors game and will look to do so again.
The Kings, who are led by Kyle Guy as well as Semaj Christon, also have obtained a 1-1 record through two games. Both teams will obviously be looking to go above .500 heading into Las Vegas.