Instant Recap: Lakers Win First Summer League Game

Best Player — (Tie) Lazar Hayward and Robert Sacre – This game is a perfect example of why stats don’t tell the whole story. Robert Sacre had a great game, but didn’t post the best numbers. Sacre had eight points, eight rebounds, two steals, and shot 3-7 from the field. Along with getting rebounds, Sacre played great defense, as you can see by the two steals. Lazar Hayward was also impressive. He came off of the bench, but provided a whole lot of energy, and he was a big part of the 21-2 run at the end of the second half. He finished with 13 points, 2 steals, and shot 4-5 from the field in just under 16 minutes of playing time.

Jul 14, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Trailblazers forward Thomas Robinson splits the defense of Los Angeles Lakers guard Lester Hudson and Center Robert Sacre during the first quarter of an NBA Summer League game at the Thomas and Mack center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Biggest Surprise — Lazar Hayward – As I noted above, Lazar Hayward was really impressive. In the first game against the Cavaliers, Hayward didn’t even play eight minutes, but he certainly earned more minutes in tonight’s game. To go along with his 13 points and 2 steals, Hayward had one assist, one rebound, and went 5-5 from the free throw line. Hayward may have played his way into getting a camp invite.

Biggest Disappointment — Chris Douglas-Roberts – The guy who was supposed to be a lock for a camp invite, and quite possibly a roster spot, was by far the most disappointing part of the win. Douglas-Roberts didn’t make a single field goal, and only had one rebound and one assist in 20 minutes of play. The best part of his game tonight was his ability to draw fouls — he made 6-8 free throws. CDR needed to assert himself far more than he did tonight. With his performance, he may no longer get a camp invite. He will need to seriously ball out in the next couple of games.

Overall Takeaway — Great team effort – This was a great team win. The Lakers played some very good defense; they held the Trail Blazers to 15.4 percent from three and 38.4 from the field. It was refreshing to see a Lakers team play good defense — forced 19 turnovers — and also score in transition (12 fast break points). Not only did they play good defense, but they also shot 30.4 percent from three — doubled the Blazers percentage. It was a solid team effort in the win tonight.

The Lakers next game is on Monday at 8:00 Eastern against the Los Angeles Clippers.