EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Despite adding two starters into their roster the night before the game, the South Bay Lakers cruised to victory on Friday, riding a well rounded performance to defeat the Santa Cruz Warriors 115-95 at the UCLA Health Training Center.
South Bay’s additions to the roster, Bronny James Jr. and Adou Thiero, both shined in starting roles in their 2025-26 G League debuts.
Head Coach Zach Guthrie couldn’t say enough about what his two newest players brought to the team.
“He (Adou) is a fun kid. What a great personality, he’s got a lot of it, and it’s awesome. In the second half, his impact on the game popped. He rebounded, guarded, and threw himself into the game defensively,” said Coach Guthrie. “I thought (Bronny) was awesome. I thought he played really poised basketball, and I thought he played a great floor game, making the right reads and right decisions.
Even with the recent change of scenery, Bronny’s number one goal remains the same.
“Just playing the right way. Get the open guys their shots, and when they sag off, getting my shot off. I feel like that’s what I need to focus on to go back to the parent team,” said James Jr.
Bronny did just that, pitching in with 15 points, eight assists and three steals of his own. Thiero, in his first ever G League appearance, had a game high 19 points, including a jaw-dropping alley-oop poster dunk in the second quarter, to go along with four rebounds and three steals.
Nick Smith Jr. (17), Anton Watson (15), Drew Timme (18), and Chris Mañon (12) also scored in double figures, as the team continued its trend this season of spreading the wealth offensively.
Mañon’s 12 points was his second lowest total of the young season, but it was his work without the ball in his hands that impressed Coach Guthrie.
“I gave the player of the game to Chris Mañon, because I said no one gives a bleep about your shots, and Chris was 4-6, and he was a +21. He personified and embodied what we talk about, and he took the challenge of guarding,” said Guthrie.
The Warriors, who came into this contest 0-4, jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first, leading to an early Laker timeout. After this, the Lakers woke up, finishing the quarter on a 23-9 run, including five three pointers made on the stretch.
In the second, after the Lakers opened the lead to 19 at 52-33 with 5:32 left to play, Santa Cruz responded. They closed the half on a 17-4 run of their own.
They even cut the South Bay lead to 2 points to begin the third quarter, after a Jackson Rowe layup made the score 56-54. It was the Lakers response after this play that separated them from the pesky Warriors for good.
The Lakers used the defense to offense pipeline to their benefit, with Adou first turning a steal into a fast break dunk, then a block from Christian Koloko leading to a Thiero three point play, and finally another stop leading to a Thiero putback layup, putting them up 9.
After the run by the rookie, the Lakers really blew the game open, with their next three baskets all being triples, from James Jr, Koloko, and Watson. South Bay never led by less than nine for the game’s remainder.
Guthrie detailed how the team had to have a shift in mentality coming out of the half to counter the Warriors comeback.
“I didn’t like the way we guarded at the end of the (first) half. The biggest messaging was that this game has ebbs and flows, everyone makes a run. We have to set the tone with our intensity and our physicality,” said Coach.
They would indeed ride that physicality to a dominant victory, showing off the talent and deep roster this team possesses.
Despite the many moving parts, especially now with Timme nearing a two-way deal with the Lakers, this team has looked great through its first five games, no matter who was suited up.
They will look to double down on Friday’s efforts when they take on the Santa Cruz Warriors again on Sunday at the UCLA Health Training Center. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m.
