Following a rough showing in their first action of the summer, the Los Angeles Lakers put together a better group effort in the California Classic finale against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday evening.
The Lakers managed to overcome a slow start in the first quarter to eventually take the lead, though they began to slow down in the second half and eventually lost to the Spurs 109-99.
Despite the loss, Los Angeles can feel good about their overall performance as they competed better on both ends of the floor. The offense looked much more cohesive while the defense had its moments throughout the evening.
Max Christie was able to build off his impressive game against the Miami Heat with another efficient outing shooting the basketball. Christie led the purple and gold in scoring with 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a hot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. The second-year guard is making a real case for a rotation spot on the main team as he’s looked much more comfortable with the ball in his hands and creating for himself when the shot clock dwindles down.
Meanwhile, Christie’s back court mate Jalen Hood-Schifino bounced back from his poor debut as he managed to pour in 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. Hood-Schifino did a better job of getting to his spots in the midrange area and showed some tough finishing ability. However, he remained cold from distance as he went 0-of-4.
Colin Castleton showed his first game wasn’t a fluke as the big man displayed great court awareness on both ends, finding his way to good looks at the rim while manning the painted area. Castleton stuffed the box score with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks. It’s early, but he might be the scouting department’s latest undrafted gem.
Lastly, Cole Swider continued to show he can be a legitimate floor spacer as he went 4-of-7 from the 3-point line on the way to 18 points. While not much of a force on the defensive end, Swider did manage to chip in other areas as he pulled down seven rebounds, with three of them being offensive.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers now head to Nevada for the annual Las Vegas Summer League where they’ll take on the Golden State Warriors on Friday. Los Angeles then draws the Charlotte Hornets and No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller on Sunday.
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