Jul 13, 2023 | Los Angeles, NBA, Sports, Valleys

Lakers Suffer First Las Vegas Summer League Loss at Hands of Celtics

For the Lakers, the summer of second year guard Max Christie continued. Christie supplied 24 points for the purple and gold along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists. The Michigan State product displayed continued maturity and excellent shotmaking ability that Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham, who was in attendance Wednesday, is surely to note. Backcourt partner rookie guard D’Moi Hodge out of Missouri also extended his streak of great play as he tallied 22 points with an impressive 6 three pointers made.

By Austin Gage

Contributing Sports Writer

In another chapter of their storied rivalry, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics 95-90 on Wednesday night.

Albeit with much lesser stakes than usual matchups, the summer league showdown was tightly contested and competitive for all four quarters. Representing the third game for each team of their Las Vegas Summer League, the Lakers looked to remain unbeaten while the Celtics searched for their first victory of the summer.

However, the Celtics were able to overcome an early 13-3 Lakers lead behind a stellar performance from second round rookie forward Jordan Walsh out of Arkansas. High quality effort on the offensive and defensive side of the ball saw Walsh end up with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and a dagger two-handed slam to seal Boston’s victory. Known in college as an uber-talented defender, Walsh’s progression on the offensive side of the ball through the first few summer league games has to have Celtics fans excited with their sole 2023 draft pick.

Third year guard Jay Scrubb, who has had stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic, supported Boston with 18 points and totaled 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Scrubb’s 15 first half points helped the Celtics chip into the early Laker lead and even included a buzzer beater three pointer to end the first quarter.

Boston exploded out of the gates in the beginning of the third quarter as they rode a 17-5 run to take the lead from Los Angeles and control of the game. Sloppy turnovers and unnecessary fouls on the defensive side of the ball plagued the Lakers in the third quarter until an And-1 finish by undrafted rookie Colin Castleton out of Florida, who finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, seemed to end the run. Castelton’s usual efficient scoring was missing but he was able to display high effort in playmaking ability and rebounding.

Any chance of regaining control of the game was shot down early in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers went ice-cold to start the period. Rookie first rounder guard Jalen Hood-Schifino out of Indiana showered an array of jumpshot, floaters, and layup attempts but could not connect on a majority of them. Hood-Schifino ended the game with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists but also continued his shooting struggles as he went an overall 7 of 20 from the field.

Hodge had a chance to cut the Boston lead to 2 with a key three pointer under a minute to go but could not connect.

Overall, Los Angeles shot 31 of 80 from the field (38.8%) and 12 of 30 (40%) from downtown. Boston shot 35 of 85 from the field (41.2%) and surprisingly low 8 of 31 (25.8%) from three for a team that emerged victorious.

The Lakers fall to a 2-1 record in the Las Vegas Summer League while the Celtics improve to a 1-2 record. Next on the schedule for the Lakers is a July 14th night duel against the 1-2 Memphis Grizzlies.