Lakers vs. Rockets final score: Bronny James has eight points in 99-80 summer league loss – USA TODAY

The 2024 NBA Summer League started Friday in Las Vegas, where Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers were searching for their first win of the summer.
However, that will have to wait at least one more game, as the Houston Rockets handed the Lakers a 99-80 loss at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Despite the loss, James played arguably his best statistical game of the summer, finishing with a summer league-high eight points on 3-of-14 shooting on the night.
With the loss, the Lakers have now lost four consecutive games of the summer after dropping all three games at the California Classic Summer League last week.
MORE:Watch Bronny James take on the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League on Fubo (free trial)
Despite nearly giving up triple-digit points, it wasn’t all bad Friday for the Lakers, as first-round pick Dalton Knecht finished with 20 or more points for the second consecutive game. The former Tennessee Volunteer guard finished with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 15 of which came from 3-point range.
Elsewhere, Reed Sheppard — the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft — and 2023 first-round pick Cam Whitmore (MVP of the 2023 NBA Summer League), finished with a combined 43 points for the Rockets on 17-of-34 shooting.
With that, check out the recap of updates and highlights from the Lakers’ 99-80 loss to the Rockets in the NBA Summer League on Friday:
All times Eastern
9:24 p.m.: The Lakers fall to the Rockets 99-80. Dalton Knecht led the Lakers with a game-high 25 points. Bronny James finishes with a summer league-high eight points and five rebounds. Reed Sheppard led the Rockets with 23 points.
9:22 p.m.: Dalton Knecht continues with the hot hand as he hits another triple from the top of the key. Lakers down 18 vs. the Rockets at 97-80.
9:21 p.m.: Dalton Knecht hits a 3 coming out of the Lakers timeout. The deficit is now at 20 for Los Angeles at 97-77. It is the fourth triple of the night for Knecht, who has 22 points.
9:20 p.m.: Lakers call a timeout on the floor with 2:19 to go after Shahada Wells pushes the Rockets lead to 97-74.
9:19 p.m.: SEC-on-SEC action as Reed Sheppard blocks Dalton Knecht’s shot.
9:18 p.m.: Cam Whitmore with a full-court pass to Reed Sheppard, who finishes the pass with an easy dunk. Houston now leads 93-74 with 3:47 to go.
9:16 p.m.: Dalton Knecht hits a 3-pointer to bring the Lakers deficit against the Rockets to 91-74. He leads the Lakers now with 19 points.
9:12 p.m.: Cam Whitmore hits a corner 3. Rockets up 89-67 in the fourth quarter.
9:10 p.m.: Bronny James hit a 6-foot driving floater out of the Lakers timeout. He has eight points on the night.
9:08 p.m.: Bronny James’ 3 falls short. He is now 2 of 10 from the floor on the night. Timeout on the floor.
9:07 p.m.: Lakers turn over the ball and it leads to a dunk from N’Faly Dante. Rockets lead Lakers 84-63.
9:05 p.m.: Bronny James misses a 3-pointer. Offensive struggles continue for James, who is 2 of 9 from the field on the night.
9:03 p.m.: Rockets take a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter at 80-61. Reed Sheppard has 19 points for the Rockets. Bronny James is still at six for the Lakers.
8:58 p.m.: It’s been all Rockets here in the third quarter as Cam Whitmore slams one home for the second time tonight. The former Villanova Wildcat has 14 points on the night.
8:57 p.m.: Orlando Robinson with a wide-open dunk to extend Houston’s lead to 75-56.
8:55 p.m.: Timeout on the floor as the Rockets lead the Lakers 72-56. 2:47 to go in the third quarter.
8:53 p.m.: Maxwell Lewis gets called for the travel. Lakers have struggled to establish a consistent offense in the third quarter as the Rockets lead 72-56. Houston is outscoring Los Angeles 18-11 in the third quarter thus far.
8:51 p.m: Dalton Knecht gives the Lakers a much-needed basket as he gets out in transition for a bucket. Lakers now trail the Rockets 70-54 with under four minutes to go in the third quarter.
8:50 p.m.: Reed Sheppard extends the Rockets’ lead to 68-52 with a logo 3-pointer. Steph Curry range for the rookie out of Kentucky.
8:47 p.m.: Timeout on the floor. Rockets lead the Lakers 65-52.
8:46 p.m.: Bronny James’ struggles continue on the floor as he misses the 3.
8:45 p.m.: Cam Whitmore with a flying dunk off the assist from Reed Sheppard. Rockets lead 63-50.
8:42 p.m.: Bronny James can’t finish the alley-oop from Maxwell Lewis. Tough miss for James and the Lakers.
8:42 p.m.: Bronny James turned over the ball as he started driving to the basket. It leads to a floater from Nate Williams which puts the Rockets up 56-45.
8:41 p.m.: Bronny James is on the floor to start the second half for the Lakers. He already has a summer league-high six points on the night.
8:38 p.m.: Lakers shot 40.5% from the field in the first while compared to the Rockets’ 44.2%. Both teams combined for 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action.
8:31 p.m.: Lakers trail the Rockets 54-45 at halftime after Maxwell Lewis’ shot at the buzzer is deemed no good. Dalton Knecht leads the Lakers with 10 points while Bronny James has six himself.
8:30 p.m.: Real nice step-back mid-range jumper from Dalton Knecht as he brings the Lakers within five at 50-45 in the winding seconds of the second quarter. He now has 10 points on the night. Tough shot from Knecht.
8:29 p.m.: Bronny James misses the put-back jumper. Houston retakes possession of the ball.
8:27 p.m.: Tommy Kuhse hit a big 3-pointer at the top of the key for the Lakers. Los Angeles now within six of Houston at 49-43.
8:24 p.m.: Dalton Knecht hits a 3-pointer to bring the Lakers within seven of the Rockets at 47-40. Timeout on the floor by the Lakers after Jermaine Samuels responded with a dunk on the other end that put Houston up nine, 49-40. 2:19 to go until halftime.
8:23 p.m.: Reed Sheppard gets called for the reach in foul. Solid defense tonight overall from the No. 3 overall pick, just got whistled there.
8:20 p.m.: Maxwell Lewis makes both free throws at the line, trimming the Lakers deficit to the Rockets to 44-35. Lakers are now 7 of 11 from the free throw line on the night.
8:19 p.m.: Nate Williams hits the 3-pointer right in front of the bench. Houston takes its largest lead of the night at 44-33 with 4:27 to go in the second quarter. Nice pass from Reed Sheppard on the play.
8:15 p.m.: Lakers call a timeout on the floor as the Rockets lead 39-33 with 5:02 to go in the second quarter. Bronny James was called for the foul prior to the timeout.
8:14 p.m.: Maxwell Lewis is given a technical for hanging onto the basket after his dunk. Basket is good for Lewis which brings the Lakers within three. Free throw coming for the Rockets.
8:12 p.m.: Bronny James checks back into the game for the Lakers. He replaces Armel Traore on the floor.
8:10 p.m.: Trent Forrest ends a short Lakers offensive drought with a 13-foot driving floater. Lakers now trail the Rockets 33-29 with 7:16 in the second quarter.
8:07 p.m.: Moses Brown makes one of two free throws. Lakers take a 27-26 lead over the Rockets with 9:38 left in the second quarter.
8:07 p.m.: Rockets challenge is unsuccessful. Lakers head to the line shooting two free throws.
8:05 p.m.: Timeout on the floor as the Rockets challenge a call on the court.
8:04 p.m.: JJ Redick tells the ESPN broadcast that he liked Bronny James’ growth in defense thus far in the Summer League. He said that he would like to see more ball pressure from Bronny on the defensive end.
8 p.m.: Lakers and Rockets are all knotted up at 26-26 at the end of the first quarter. Bronny James with six points for the Lakers in the first 10 minutes.
7:59 p.m.: Under a minute left in the first quarter.
7:57 p.m.: Dalton Knecht shows off his passing abilities as he finds Armel Traore for the alley-oop dunk. Real nice play and pass from the former Tennessee Volunteer.
7:57 p.m.: Dalton Knecht ties the game at 20-20 after making two of three free throws at the line. He is at five points on the night.
7:54 p.m.: Timeout on the floor in Las Vegas. Rockets narrowly lead the Lakers 20-18 with 2:49 to go in the frame after Nate Williams got one to roll in off the glass. Bronny James is on the bench for the Lakers with four points, which ties his summer league high.
7:53 p.m.: With under four minutes left in the first quarter, it is all tied up at 18-18 between the Lakers and Rockets. Both teams still settling into this one.
7:50 p.m.: Dalton Knecht drains a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the Lakers lead to 16-13. Those are his first points of the night.
7:49 p.m.: Bronny James makes both free throws out of the media timeout. He is up at four points on the night as the Lakers take a 13-12 lead with 5:30 to go in the first quarter.
7:48 p.m.: Tommy Kuhse leads the Lakers with three points at the first-quarter media timeout. Bronny James is 1-for-4 from the field with a turnover.
7:46 p.m.: Media timeout on the floor as the Rockets lead the Lakers 10-9 with 5:57 to go in the first quarter. Bronny James drew the foul under the basket before the stoppage of play.
7:45 p.m.: Bronny James starts the night 1 of 4 from the field as he misses the 3-pointer.
7:44 p.m.: Dalton Knecht gets the defensive rebound as Cam Whitmore misses the second free throw. It leads to a 3-pointer from Tommy Kuhse. Lakers lead 9-6 with 7:28 in Q1.
7:43 p.m.: Bronny James thinks about the 3 but drives to the basket. Shot is blocked from N’Faly Dante. Lakers ball on the inbound as they trail 5-4 to the Rockets with 7:59 left in Q1.
7:42 p.m.: Bronny James has his first points of the night on the drive to the basket. Lakers lead 4-2.
7:41 p.m.: Maxwell Lewis gets the Lakers on the board with a 3-foot dunk. He misses the and-one free-throw after. Tied game at 2-2.
7:41 p.m.: And we are underway in Las Vegas as Houston wins the tip
7:35 p.m.: Tip-off is just a few minutes away in Las Vegas! Bronny James vs. Reed Sheppard loading….
7:12 p.m.: Bronny James and the Lakers have taken the court for warm-ups in Las Vegas ahead of tonight’s NBA Summer League contest vs. the Rockets. James is averaging 3.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.3 minutes across two games this summer.
7:05 p.m.: Bronny James and the Lakers head out from the locker room to the court for Friday’s summer league game vs. the Rockets:
6:58 p.m.: Bronny James is in the lineup Friday for the Lakers Summer League game vs. the Rockets:
6:57.: Just about 30 minutes until tip-off in Las Vegas. Lakers vs. Rockets will start after the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game concludes.
6:05 p.m.: Dalton Knecht led the Lakers in points in their 80-76 loss to the Miami Heat on July 10, with 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field. Colin Castleton led Los Angeles in rebounding with 11 boards.
6:04 p.m.: Under an hour and half from tip-off in Las Vegas, where Bronny James and the Lakers will take on the Rockets.
5:54 p.m.: Classy tribute here by the NBA, as it has put together a tribute seat for late NBA and Lakers legend Jerry West courtside at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas. West passed away on June 12 at the age of 86. Famously known as “The Logo” of the NBA, West played all 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers.
ESPN will broadcast the Lakers and Rockets 2024 NBA Summer League game on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
You can stream Friday’s 2024 Las Vegas NBA Summer League contest between the Lakers and Rockets on the ESPN app by logging in with your TV provider credentials, on ESPN+ or on Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to select users.
Bronny James and the Lakers will take on the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Yes. James is once again in the lineup for the Lakers. It is his third start this summer for Los Angeles.
In two games in San Francisco — he did not play in the Lakers vs. the Warriors on July 7 due to a coaches’ decision — James finished with a combined seven points on 3-of-12 shooting (25%) from the field.
On the Lakers official roster, James is listed at 6-foot-2.
James next plays Friday, July 12 against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET in Game 1 of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
No. LeBron James is currently in Abu Dhabi with USA Basketball for two exhibition games against Australia and Serbia before heading off to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The four-time NBA champion is competing in his first Olympics with USA Basketball since the 2012 London Olympics.
In two games in the California Summer League last week, James averaged 3.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.3 minutes per game while shooting 25% from the field. James did not play in the Lakers’ 92-68 loss against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, July 7 due to a coach’s decision.
Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of James’ stats from the California Classic Summer League:
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James signed a four-year/$7.9 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, July 3 after the Lakers selected the USC guard with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. As noted by Field of 68 Network’s Jeff Goodman, James’ contract with the Lakers is one of the bigger contracts for a player taken with the No. 55 overall pick in recent year. Last year’s No. 55 overall pick, Miami’s Isaiah Wong, signed a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers that was worth around $600,000 and $700,000 per Goodman.
Here’s a breakdown of James’ Annual Average Value (AAV) per year according to ESPN:
Knecht, who went No. 17 overall to the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft, has started in all three summer league games this summer for Los Angeles. In those games, Knecht averaged 14.6 points.
Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of Knecht’s stats from the California Classic Summer League:
Here is the Lakers’ summer league schedule, including their three games in the California Classic Summer League:
Here’s the Lakers’ full 2024 Summer League roster:
Listed in numerical order
Guards
Forwards
* denotes rookie status
Here is the Rockets’ summer league schedule:
Here’s the Rockets’ full 2024 Summer League roster:
Listed in numerical order
Guard
Forward
* denotes rookie status
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