Lakers fall to Heat in Game 1 of California Classic
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — In the opening game of the California Classic in Sacramento, the Lakers Summer League team stumbled against the Miami Heat in a 107-90 loss on Monday.
With Miami leading by almost a double-digit margin most of the game, the Lakers had no answer for stopping the Heat’s offense, which finished shooting 45% from three and 52.1% total from the floor.
Despite their 17-point loss, the Lakers' rookies and young players made promising performances in an ugly loss.
Sophomore forward Max Christie finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-for-11, 54.5% shooting, while finishing with six rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 31 minutes.
The Lakers' 17th overall pick, Jalen Hood-Schifino, struggled to find a rhythm shooting with a 6-for-19 shooting night and 0-for-5 from three.
“It wasn’t the outcome that we wanted,” said Hood-Schifino, “As the game went on I got more aggressive and get downhill.”
In the second half, Hood-Schifino showcased an impressive outing, displaying a resilient mentality by quickly bouncing back from missed shots. Despite his early struggles, Hood-Schifino finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a block in 28 minutes.
Two-way sophomore Cole Swider showed his strengths shooting from the outside with a 3-for-6 shooting night from deep, finishing with 13 points.
Lakers promising bigman Colin Castleton showed what he could bring to the Lakers roster with a solid performance of 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block in just 15 minutes.
The Lakers' second game of the California Classic will be on Wednesday, July 5th, at 5 p.m. PST on ESPN.
