Jordan Caroline leads Lakers to first and only Las Vegas Summer League win

After four failed attempts, the Los Angeles Lakers finally got their first win at the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League tournament on Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center, beating the Golden State Warriors 86-83 after trailing by 24 points at the half.

The Lakers weren’t favorites going into Friday’s game, as evidenced by the large deficit they fell into early on, but they fought back and earned their first and only win in Las Vegas.

The Lakers were led by Jordan Caroline, who scored 20 points an efficient 7-8 shooting from the field, including 3-4 shooting from behind the arc. Caroline will end his time in Las Vegas as the team’s leading scorer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a training camp invite, whether it’s from the Lakers or elsewhere.

Head coach Miles Simon also got a surprise breakout performance from guard Jaron Johnson, who scored 19 points on 60 percent shooting from the field. Prior to Friday night’s game, he hadn’t made his mark on the team yet.

While Friday’s consolation game was technically meaningless from a competitive standpoint, it meant something for players like Johnson and Caroline, who are still looking to sign an NBA, two-way or G League contract for next season. If even one of those guys gets called up when training camp rolls around, the summer league season was a success for the Lakers.

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