On July 8, Beijing time, the 2024 NBA Summer League California Classic was held as scheduled, and the Lakers welcomed the challenge of their rival Warriors at home. It is worth mentioning that Bronny, the potential star of the Lakers, unfortunately missed this key matchup because of a slight swelling in his left knee.
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As soon as the game began, the Lakers were under a lot of pressure. They failed to score more than 20 points in each of the four consecutive quarters and were overshadowed by the Warriors. Although the Lakers' young players showed a tenacious fighting spirit, they still struggled to withstand the Warriors' powerful offense. In the end, the Lakers lost 68-92 at home to the Warriors and suffered two consecutive losses in the summer league, and the Warriors won two in a row with this victory.
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In the opening summer league game of the previous game, the Lakers lost 94-108 to the Kings Blue, and Bronny's debut was not ideal, scoring just four points on 2-of-9 shooting. The Warriors, on the other hand, defeated the Heat 105-66 and showed great strength.
In the first quarter of the game, the Lakers started 7-8 down, and then the Warriors launched a 9-0 attack wave to take a 10-point lead in one fell swoop. Although Lakers youngster Hinson hit two three-pointers in quick succession to try to recover the score, the Warriors blossomed more and continued to extend their lead. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers trailed the Warriors by 14 points, 17-31.
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Heading into the second quarter, neither side was very efficient offensively, and both teams saw a dip in scoring. The Lakers scored just 17 points in each of the two consecutive quarters, which was not as good as it could be. With 5:44 left in the second quarter, the Lakers trailed the Warriors by 20 points at 19-39 and had to call a timeout.
After this timeout, the Lakers seemed to come back and gradually recovered five points. However, at the end of the first half, the Lakers still trailed the Warriors 34-49. In the first two quarters of the game, only one player from either side scored in double figures, and that was Labustavicius's 11 points.
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After halftime, the Warriors continued to overpower the Lakers with excellent defense, and they managed to limit the Lakers to less than 20 points in a single quarter for three consecutive quarters. During that time, the Warriors extended their lead to 58-41 at one point, leading the Lakers by 27 points.
Although the Lakers continued to chase points in the following games, the Warriors went on a 24-16 offensive run in the third quarter to once again lead the Lakers by eight points. By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers trailed the Warriors by 23 points, 50-73. The win in this game seems to have skewed in favor of the Warriors. Entering the final quarter of the game, the Lakers still did not get rid of the Warriors' suppression, and the score was stretched to 60-89, 29 points behind the Warriors. Due to the large margin of scores between the two sides, the final quarter of the game went into garbage time early.
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In the end, the Lakers lost to the Warriors 68-92 under strong pressure from the Warriors, swallowing the bitter fruit of a two-game losing streak. The Warriors, on the other hand, won two in a row with this victory. In this game, the Warriors' excellent defense was undoubtedly the key to their victory, and although the Lakers lost the game, their tenacious spirit also won the applause of the fans.
Stats: Lakers: Bronny missed with slight swelling in his left knee, Knecht scored 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting, Castleton had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and all four players on the team scored in double figures. Warriors: Thompson 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, Prouddon 14 points and 8 rebounds, Labustavicius 12 points.