Lakers vs. Celtics: Vegas Summer League Game 4 Preview

LAS VEGAS — The Lakers return to hoop action for their fourth Summer League game in Las Vegas on Thursday, taking on the Celtics. After splitting their first two games and falling to their crosstown rival Clippers, Los Angeles is looking to find more consistency from its developing core with two games left.

The Lakers will not be among the top four teams to move on to the semi-finals of the Summer League. They sit with a 1-2 record going into Thursday’s matchups, which ranks them in the middle of the pack at 16; the top eight teams remain undefeated.

The last time the Lakers won the Summer League championship was back in 2017, when the Lakers had arguably the best Summer League team ever assembled to date, with Ivica Zubac, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso among that squad.

Last Game (against Clippers)

Against the Clippers, the Lakers’ offense struggled. L.A. shot just 34.4% from the field and turned the ball over 19 times. The Clips took advantage all game of those mistakes and capped the game with an 11–0 run in the final minutes to put the outcome out of reach.

On the individual stat sheet, Bronny James was the standout for L.A., looking more and more like a pro who can contribute off the bench during the season. He scored 17 points on six-of-10 shooting—his highest tally this summer—while also grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing 5 assists.

Cole Swider continued his scoring consistency with 16 points (5 rebounds, 3 steals) on six-of-14 from the field. The rest of the roster had a tougher night: Dalton Knecht managed only 8 points on 3-of-15 shooting (one-for-eight from 3) and Darius Bazley, who’s quickly developed as a favorite to get a training camp look, had just 1 point and 4 rebounds. 

Christian Koloko chipped in 8 points and 3 rebounds, and was a defensive presence with 3 steals and 3 blocks. In short, Bronny and Swider led the way for L.A., but the supporting cast was largely stifled by a young Clippers’ core that has looked great in Vegas with a 3-0 record.

Looking Ahead vs. Boston

The Celtics enter with a 2–1 record, dropping their last game after winning the first two games. Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman have led the way as the leading scorers for Boston in Vegas, both of whom have NBA game experience.

Look for Walsh to have a bounce-back game after getting ejected in their loss to the Heat, probably a large part of Boston falling to Miami. He had 13 points in 10 minutes before being kicked out after picking up back-to-back techs. 

Kenneth Lofton Jr., who has bounced around the NBA the last couple of seasons, is a threat to look out for off the bench. With a nickname like Gen-Z Bo, you can put together what type of player he is, and physicality is a trait he brings to every game.

Lakers vs. Celtics Game 4 Details 

📅 Date: Thursday, July 17

⏰ Tip-off: 6:00 p.m. PT

📍 Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

📺 TV: ESPN

📻 Radio: ESPN LA 710 and the Lakers Radio Network

Projected Starters

Lakers Starting Five:

• PG: Bronny James

• SG: DJ Steward

• SF: Dalton Knecht

• PF: Cole Swider

• C: Christian Koloko

Celtics Starting Five (Projected):

• PG: Baylor Scheierman

• SG: Hugo Gonzalez

• SF: Jordan Walsh

• PF: Anton Watson

• C: Amari Williams

The Lakers will conclude the Summer League on Friday against the Denver Nuggets at 7 p.m. PST. Their next step is training camp until their next game action in October, when they open up the preseason against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert.