This was starting to look like a rough summer for the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost each of their three games during the California Classic, and they started out the NBA’s main summer league with two losses to the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics.
On Wednesday, they took on the Atlanta Hawks without Dalton Knecht, who was sitting out for rest, and center Moses Brown, who has a non-COVID-19 illness.
Los Angeles got off quickly and took an early 12-2 lead, and although Atlanta came back to make things close and then take a double-digit lead in the third quarter, it didn’t fold.
It fought back down the stretch, and with the game on the line, L.A. stood tall defensively and got a stop on the final possession to preserve an 87-86 win.
A few of its players stepped up to finally get a victory in summer league play.
Colin Castleton: While Castleton may not have convinced people he deserves a spot in the big league Lakers’ center rotation, he has looked good for much of this summer, as he did last summer.
He made all but one of his nine field-goal attempts to score 17 points, and he also grabbed 12 rebounds. Castleton also dished off six assists in 24 minutes and showed his ability to facilitate in the set offense.
Blake Hinson: Hinson, who was an excellent 3-point shooter at the University of Pittsburgh (he shot 42.1% from downtown this past season), has been hit-and-miss during summer league play. But on Wednesday, he was able to get his shot to fall consistently.
He went 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and overall, he scored 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Maxwell Lewis: Lewis had another rough outing as he shot just 3-of-12 from the floor. In the third quarter, he put up a nifty spin move and looked to throw down a dunk on the fast break, but he had his attempt blocked by E.J. Liddell.
On a positive note, he did display some defense on Wednesday by blocking two shots
Lewis appears to have some trouble finishing near the rim. But his raw skills are apparent, and if he puts in enough work, perhaps he will become a rotation player in the NBA before long.
Bronny James: Finally, James showed some of the potential he displayed in high school. He made each of his first three shots of the contest, and he even hit his first 3-pointer after going 0-of-15 from that distance prior to Wednesday in summer league play.
The 19-year-old finished with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from downtown.