The Los Angeles Lakers looked to continue their run in the Las Vegas Summer League, taking on the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals at Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers lost to the Warriors in blowout fashion in the California Classic opener before rattling off six straight wins to get to this point. They were certainly looking for revenge in this one, but the Warriors ultimately came out on top, 92-88, in a close game to advance to the championship.
L.A. won its first four games in blowout fashion in Las Vegas, but this one was close early with Yaxel Lendeborg and Chris Mañon getting their respective teams on the board.
Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero each threw down dunks in transition for the Lakers, and Arthur Kaluma beat the first-quarter buzzer to cut the Warriors’ lead to 21-19.
Carr took a hard fall early in the second quarter and appeared to hurt his elbow, although he ended up being OK. His teammates picked up the slack in his absence with Zhaire Smith and AK Okereke both completing three-point plays and then Kaluma hitting a triple.
Carr eventually returned and showed he was healthy by throwing down a vicious lob in transition. The teams continued to go back and forth with 12 lead changes in the first half before ultimately heading into the locker room tied at 42.
Thiero had the crowd on their feet early in the third quarter when he threw down an athletic alley-oop on a high pass from Mañon. He then completed a three-point play to beat the shot clock.
After the Lakers went up by six, the Warriors responded with a quick 7-0 run to regain the lead momentarily before L.A. took a 66-63 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Golden State began the final quarter on an 8-0 run before Carr responded with a 3-pointer. Even though Thiero threw down another ridiculous dunk and hit a rare corner 3, the Warriors began to take control from there as they were also hot from deep.
Kaluma took a hard foul trying to get the Lakers back in it and it was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. L.A. made some big free throws to get back within one in the final minute, but Thiero and Mañon turned it over on back-to-back possessions.
Mañon was fouled on a 3-point attempt and had a chance to tie it, but he missed a free throw. The Warriors then made a pair at the line and forced a turnover on the final possession to close it out.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Houston Rockets in the other semifinal, setting up a matchup with the Warriors in the championship on Sunday afternoon at Thomas & Mack Center. The game will be at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN.
While the Lakers’ Summer League is officially over, they can be very proud of their play as they got better every game and dominated every team they faced other than Golden State.
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