The Los Angeles Lakers punched their ticket to the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals with a 105-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls on July 16 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
First-round pick Cameron Carr opened the scoring with a mid-range jumper, setting the tone for a night the Lakers never trailed. Chris Mañon, William Hickey and Anton Watson added early points in the paint, helping Los Angeles take a 19-16 edge after one quarter.
The contest tightened in the second period until Los Angeles mounted a 12-0 surge fueled by defense that stretched the margin to 56-40 at halftime. Players from both teams had to be separated while leaving the floor, underscoring the rising intensity.
Adou Thiero drilled a three to begin the third quarter, and Carr followed with a three-point play and a dunk. Mañon then scored eight straight, including a triple and an and-one, before Jon Elmore beat the buzzer from long range to make it 83-54 through three.
With the outcome decided, head coach Miles Simon rested his starters for most of the fourth, allowing reserves to close out the Lakers’ sixth consecutive win since a California Classic loss in early July.
Playoff implications
The Lakers finished group play 4-0 in Las Vegas and will enter Saturday’s semifinal as the tournament’s No. 1 seed. The franchise is chasing its first Summer League championship since 2017.
Chicago, led by No. 4 overall pick Caleb Williams, fell to 2-2 and was eliminated from title contention.
Source: LakersNation.com
