EL SEGUNDO – The South Bay Lakers earned another win in front of their home crowd as they beat the Reno Bighorns, 128-117, for their third straight victory. South Bay (6-1) shot well from all over the court (55.1% from the field, 44.1% from three) as they improved to 6-1 for the first time in team history. The Lakers were led by Alex Caruso, who tallied 28 points and seven assists, while Reno (2-4) was paced by David Stockton who scored a game-high 30 points.
Caruso came out firing for the Lakers, scoring 13 points in the first quarter to put his team up 33-29 after one. In the second, it was Reno’s point guard’s turn as Stockton tallied 12 points in the second quarter alone. The Lakers held a slight lead at the half, 69-65, as the point guards battled it out with 19 points apiece by halftime.
Thomas Bryant scored 10 points in the third quarter, as he flashed his all-around game with a pair of threes to go along with his points in the paint. South Bay led by as many as eight in the third quarter, but Reno kept it close and only trailed by five, 100-95, through three.
In the fourth quarter, Vander Blue showed why he is the reigning league MVP as he scored nine points in the final frame to give South Bay another victory. However, it was Caruso who put the final stamp on the win as he threw down a huge dunk in the final minute to the delight of his home crowd.
The Bighorns were led by Stockton’s 30 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Reno’s two-way players both posted double-doubles as Jack Cooley tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds while JaKarr Sampson scored 21 points along with his 11 boards. Also in double-digits for the Bighorns was Aaron Harrison who scored 15 points.
Caruso (28 points, seven assists, three rebounds) and Bryant (25 points, 11 rebounds) led the way in scoring for South Bay and Blue filled up the box score himself with 21 points, nine assists, three rebounds and three steals as he became South Bay’s all-time leader in games played with 146. Scott Machado led the second unit with 19 points and five assists off the bench, while V.J. Beachem scored 11 points and hit three triples for the Lakers.
The South Bay Lakers will now travel to face the Texas Legends on Friday, November 24 at 5:30. The Legends handed the Lakers their only loss of the season on November 12 when they beat South Bay 126-116.
The NBA G League’s South Bay Lakers, the first franchise in G League history to be owned by an NBA team (Los Angeles Lakers), returns for its 11th season of competition in 2017-18. The Lakers franchise has established itself as a top producer of NBA-ready talent, totaling 26 NBA Call-Ups and developing 19 Lakers assignment players since the inaugural 2006-07 season. Last season, the Lakers returned to the playoffs for the third time in the last four years and produced the league MVP in guard Vander Blue. The Lakers have claimed three division titles and have twice competed in the NBA G League Finals, most recently in 2015-16.
