SAN FRANCISCO --- After dropping their California Classic opener 89-84 to the Warriors on Saturday, the Lakers’ Summer League squad will look to get their first win against the Miami Heat on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. PT at Chase Center.
The Lakers started the opener strong as a unit, jumping out to a 21-11 lead to end the first quarter. It was strong middle quarters by the Warriors that swung the game, outscoring L.A. 58-41 in the process. A 4th quarter push by the Lakers wasn’t enough despite two Lakers finishing with 20 points.
Cole Swider led the game in scoring with 24 points on an efficient seven-for-10 shooting from the field. His hot shooting, hitting six-for-eight from deep—which led the game—gave L.A. an arsenal from deep that it lacked most of the game. The rest of the team combined for five-for-25 (20%) from 3.
Swider is in his second stint in L.A., starting his NBA career with the Lakers as an undrafted two-way signee back in 2022.
Bronny James traveled with the team to San Francisco but didn't suit up.
Last year's first-round pick Dalton Knecht couldn’t find a shot from 3, finishing zero-for-six from 3-point range. Knecht finished with 10 points, scoring four of his total in the fourth quarter.
“Took a while for me to get going; I mean, I didn’t get going at all," Knecht said on his outing. "Just gotta come out ready to play better tomorrow and come out with more confidence, shake off the rust.
“And then as a team, I think my teammates were great. They all came out competing, picking up full court, rebounding, crashing the glass hard. I’m proud of my teammates and they did great," he added.
Look for him to have a bounce-back game against the Heat and gain his confidence back.
The Heat opened the Cali Classic with an 82-69 win over the Spurs. Pelle Larsson (18 points) and Erik Stevenson (16 points) led Miami with 34 points combined.
Kel'el Ware is a true threat going into the matchup against Miami, especially with the Lakers' lack of size in the frontcourt. Trey Jemison III is L.A.’s biggest player, at 6 feet 11 inches, and the next tallest Laker is a 6’9” forward.
Ware is a 7-footer who averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in 64 games last season for the Heat as a solid rotation player.
Lakers vs. Heat: Cali Classic Game 2
📅 Date: Sunday, July 6, 1:30 p.m. PT
⏰ Tip-off: 1:30 p.m. PT
📺 TV: NBA TV
📻 Radio: ESPN LA 710 and the Lakers Radio Network
Projected Starters (Game 1 Lineups)
Lakers Starting Five:
PG: DaJaun Gordon
SG: DJ Steward
SF: Dalton Knecht
PF: Cole Swider
C: Trey Jemison III
Heat Starting Five:
PG: Kira Lewis Jr.
SG: Kasparas Jakučionis
SF: Pelle Larsson
PF: Keshad Johnson
C: Kel'el Ware
The Lakers will play their final game in San Fran on Tuesday against the Spurs (7 p.m. PST) before heading to Nevada for the annual Vegas Summer League.