Behind big-time performances by Blake Hinson and Quincy Olivari, the Lakers end their Summer League with a win against the Chicago Bulls.
The Los Angeles Lakers end their Vegas Summer League on a three-game winning streak, beating the Chicago Bulls 107-81.
With Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Maxwell Lewis out, the Lakers would have to dig deep in their bags for offense to end this Summer League on a high note.
Blake Hinson shouldered the load with 25 points, three rebounds and two assists. Quincy Olivari was excellent off the bench, with 20 points, three rebounds and a steal.
Sean East II scored nine points, had three assists and two steals. Vincent Valerio-Bodon pitched in with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Moses Brown had 10 points with eight rebounds.
Grayson Murphy was a monster on the boards with 11, dished out 10 dimes and had three steals. Armel Traoré grabbed nine rebounds and scored six points. Colin Castleton did not have a great offensive game but grabbed seven rebounds and four assists.
East II started things off offensively for the Lakers. They shot perfectly from behind the arc in the first quarter, making all seven attempts and going 12 for 18 from the field.
Midway through the frame, the Lakers were up four. Both teams were equally playing hard and trading shots at first, but L.A. distanced itself with a 15-2 run.
Hinson’s continued sharp shooting helped the Lakers extend their lead to 11. They were up 39-18 at the end of the first.
The Lakers lead ballooned to 24 to start the second as the Bulls struggled to make their shots. The Bulls were only able to shave off three points from the deficit. Hinson was the only player from either team to score in double digits. He also nailed four of his seven attempts from behind the arc. Los Angeles dominated that quarter and while Chicago started making their shots, they couldn’t mount a comeback. At halftime, the Lakers were up 56-36.
16 points AND COUNTING in the first half for Blake pic.twitter.com/yWzgeYijdY
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 20, 2024
Los Angeles started the second half much cooler than the first half, but luckily for them, Chicago still couldn’t find a good rhythm to make this a closer game. Much of the quarter was spent with the Lakers taking complete charge and not much happened for the Bulls.
Each player on the Lakers scored at least a point, making it a well-rounded and complete game for this young squad that struggled at the beginning of the Summer League. The Bulls cut the deficit to 12, but a 5-0 run by L.A. put the lead up to 17.
The lead jumped to 19 as the Lakers began the final frame strong. Despite the Bulls making their run, the Lakers kept their foot on the gas. Olivari was big for the team in the second half and was second in scoring for the Lakers. The rest of the quarter continued to be all Lakers, with each player showing off their skills one last time before time ran out for this team in Las Vegas.
On target pic.twitter.com/U3u6QssIv8
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 21, 2024
Summer League is not about winning games but giving young players reps and seeing who can contribute at the next level. From that perspective, the Lakers found some promising prospects.
If Hinson continues to be a sharpshooter, he’ll see some NBA minutes this upcoming season. He’s currently signed on a two-way contract with the Lakers.
Knecht has some defensive flaws but had a couple of 20-plus point performances and showed signs that the Lakers might've gotten the steal of the draft.
Bronny improved towards the end of Summer League with his scoring but was really good defensively.
Ending on a three-game win streak is the best of both worlds for the Summer League Lakers. We saw some good development and they won some games along the way. Now, we will have a big break before the Lakers retake the floor in October for the preseason.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
