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The Los Angeles Lakers were without any of their 2017 NBA Draft first round picks in their Las Vegas Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings, but that didn’t matter in a 95-92 victory for the purple and gold.
A Lakers summer league team without Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart would seem like a long shot to pick up their first win in Las Vegas, but Alex Caruso played lights out.
Caruso was everywhere, hustling on defense, making good decisions as the starting point guard and draining threes. Alex finished the game with 18 points and nine assists, leading the Lakers to a huge lead in the first half.
The Lakers were on a 31-8 lead that had them cruising through the second quarter and start of the third, but the Kings would surge back into the game in the second half. Sacramento cut the Lakers 28-point lead all the way down, trying the game in the fourth quarter.
A lob from Caruso to Travis Wear in the final three minutes gave the Lakers the final boost they needed to wrap up their first summer league victory.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 12 points and one assists, not getting the marquee matchup against Ball fans had been waiting for. Vander Blue scored a team-high 21 points, making three of his six three-point attempts.
The Lakers got that first win out of their system and now await seeding for the second portion of play in Las Vegas.