Tag: lakers basketball

Vitto Brown makes his Lakers NBA Summer League debut

Vitto Brown makes his 2022 NBA Summer League debut

One of three former Badgers participating in 2022 NBA Summer League, Vitto Brown suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers in Saturday afternoon’s California Classic opener.

The four-team tournament acts as a precursor to the Las Vegas main event set to take place next week.

Brown and the Lakers are off to a good summer start, as they defeated the Miami Heat 100-66 to get things underway. The former Badger was one of four Laker players in double-figures, as he finished with 11 points on 5-6 shooting as well as connecting on his lone three-point attempt.

Brown and the Lakers will take on the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Fans can catch the action on NBA TV with tipoff set for 6:30 PM CT.

Three takeaways from the Lakers’ 106-101 loss at Portland

The Lakers fall in Portland

After a 106-101 loss in Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers have a serious amount of work to do to pull themselves out of the play-in tournament. It was Damian Lillard time at the Moda Center, as Portland’s star scored a game-high 38 points on just 18 shots.

Anthony Davis looked more like himself with a team-high 36 points and 12 rebounds, but cold shooting and a struggling supporting cast doomed a Laker team that was without LeBron James and Dennis Schroeder.

Let’s get into three takeaways from Friday night’s loss:

A look at the Lakers’ playoff picture after a 93-89 win over Denver

The Laker playoff picture after a win over Denver

No LeBron James, no problem for the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Monday night. Anthony Davis led the way with 25 points and a game-clinching block as the Lakers improved to 37-28 on the year with a 93-89 win over Denver.

With the NBA play-in tournament a hot topic of discussion following James’ postgame press conference on Sunday night, here is a dive into where Los Angeles sits with just seven games remaining in the regular season.

The Lakers sit at 37-28 on the year, which currently puts them in fifth overall in the west. With Dallas at 36-28, the Mavericks have a game in hand and the tiebreaker over the Lakers. This Friday, Los Angeles visits the Portland Trailblazers (36-29 and currently in seventh place) in a massive game that will not only impact seeding but also decide the tiebreak between those two squads.

With tonight’s win, the Lakers clinched a spot in the NBA play-in tournament. As far as clinching a direct playoff berth and a top-6 seed, that magic number sits at 6.