EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The South Bay Lakers improved their record to 3-7 by winning their second consecutive game, defeating the Texas Legends 100-93 on Wednesday night at the UCLA Training Health Center, with Arnel Traore leading the way by scoring 19 points.
The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead and then extended it by 10 points after a fast-break dunk by Traore. South Bay forced 16 turnovers throughout the game, converting those turnovers into 21 points. Traore was excellent on both ends of the court, making key defensive stops when necessary and collecting eight rebounds while shooting 9 of 16 from the field.
“We played a solid game. That was a good win for us,” Traore said. “We got two in a row, so we gotta keep that rhythm. For me, I’m just glad. I’m trying to get some playing time.”
Lakers coach Zach Guthrie called a timeout with 3:21 remaining in the game as his team led 92-91. After allowing the Legends to come back, Guthrie had an excellent play call for Solomon Young, who rolled to the basket for an open layup. Following that play, the Lakers secured another defensive stop and closed out the game with a crucial block by Traore on Gortman, who was driving to the basket with one minute left.
The night was bright as five players scored in double figures. Solomon Young and Jordan Goodwin led the team with 18 points, Sir’Jabari Rice contributed 15 points, and Quincy Olivari added 11 points. However, it wasn’t Olivari’s most efficient performance, as he shot 2 for 18 from the field and only 2 for 12 from three-point range.
"It's great when I have a night like this, where I'm not making my shots, but he still believes in me," Olivari said. "Just like every other shooter, you gotta keep shooting because the next night I could go 10 for 10 and forget about tonight,"
Coach Guthrie shared his observations about Olivari and expressed his confidence in him despite the poor shooting night.
“I told him that I didn’t realize after the first half that you were 0 for, I didn’t know,” Coach Guthrie said. “He has a tendency to look for the highlight reel three. He shoots from damn near halfcourt all the time,” Guthrie smiled as he explained the confidence he carries with his guard.
On a night when the Lakers were missing three key contributors from last Friday's win, including Trey Jemison III, Christian Koloko, and Bronny James, they managed to hold the Legends to just 4 of 20 shooting from beyond the arc. While the Legends struggled with their three-point shooting, their bench had an impressive performance, scoring 57 points. Jazian Gortman led the way with 25 points, finishing 12 of 23 from the field.
The Legends aggressively targeted the basket throughout the night, significantly outperforming the Lakers in the paint with a score of 58-42. Grayson Murphy was instrumental in keeping the team energized, contributing eight assists along with eight points of his own.
The first half was challenging for the Lakers, as they allowed 22 points in the paint out of the 24 scored by their opponents in the first quarter. Things became even more difficult on the court when they shot just 1 of 9 from beyond the arc. However, they improved later in the game, ultimately finishing with 9 of 36 three-point attempts.
This is the second consecutive win, as Coach Guthrie discusses the challenges of managing a G-League roster with uncertain player availability.
“It’s the G-League, that’s what you signed up for,” Coach Guthrie said. “Solomon, fourth in the depth chart, DNP against Rip City, comes in and starts, plays 33 great minutes that we needed. That’s the sign of a true pro.”
The South Bay Lakers will face the Texas Legends again on Friday night at the UCLA Health Training Center.