The Boston Celtics leaned on their defense and timely shooting to beat the LA Lakers 87-78 on Thursday. Boston trailed 26-20 after one quarter before outscoring LA 66-52 the rest of the way.
Starters Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez combined for 30 points, 11 rebounds and three assists to carry the Celtics to their third win against one loss in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Bronny James, held scoreless in the first half, finished the game with a team-high 18 points for the Lakers. James added five assists and three rebounds but committed a game-high eight turnovers.
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Dalton Knecht's summer league struggles continued. The 2024 first-round pick ended the night with eight points behind 3-for-12 shooting, including 1-for-6 from deep.
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Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers player stats and box score
Boston Celtics player stats and box score
Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3-PT FG | FT | +/- |
Amari Williams | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-10 | 0-1 | 2-2 | +6 |
Jordan Walsh | 17 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6-11 | 2-4 | 3-6 | +11 |
Baylor Scheierman | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2-14 | 2-11 | 3-3 | +4 |
Hugo Gonzalez | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4-11 | 2-4 | 3-4 | +6 |
Max Shulga | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1-6 | 1-3 | 1-2 | +9 |
Kendall Brown | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | +11 |
Miles Norris | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5-11 | 1-6 | 0-0 | +1 |
Kenneth Lofton Jr. | 12 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5-8 | 2-4 | 0-2 | +3 |
Jalen Bridges | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-0 | +5 |
Isaiah Wong | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 3-3 | +1 |
Charles Bassey | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Ben Gregg | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Zach Hicks | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Hayden Gray | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Aaron Scott | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
LA Lakers player stats and box score
Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3-PT FG | FT | +/- |
Christian Koloko | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6-8 | 0-1 | 0-0 | +1 |
Cole Swider | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4-10 | 2-7 | 2-3 | -10 |
Dalton Knecht | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3-12 | 1-6 | 1-2 | -3 |
DJ Steward | 14 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6-11 | 2-5 | 0-0 | +1 |
Bronny James | 18 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7-13 | 1-4 | 3-4 | -3 |
Trey Jemison III | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | -10 |
Ethan Taylor | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | -17 |
Darius Bazley | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | +5 |
RJ Davis | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1-2 | -10 |
DaJuan Gordon | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-6 | 0-3 | 1-2 | -5 |
Sam Mennenga | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Julian Reese | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Arthur Kaluma | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Eric Dixon | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
TY Johnson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Augustas Marciulionis | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sir' Jabari Rice | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers Game Summary
The Boston Celtics faced their historic rivals, the LA Lakers, on Thursday's NBA 2K26 Summer League game in Las Vegas. Boston looked to improve its record to 3-1 with a win and push LA further down the standings with a 1-3 mark.
The Lakers' balanced attack, led by Cole Swider, gave them a 26-21 lead after one quarter. Christian Koloko's activity in the paint on both ends also caused the Celtics problems.
Boston turned the tables on the Lakers in the second quarter to take a 40-35 lead at halftime. Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez dissected LA's defense to help push their team to a slight edge after the end of the first two quarters.
Boston's defense wasn't as stifling in the third quarter, but it still limited LA to 20 points. The Celtics forced the Lakers to 0-of-5 shooting from deep, a key reason they extended their lead to 65-55 entering the fourth quarter.
Bronny James, who went scoreless in the first half, came alive with 10 points, one assist and one steal in the third frame.
The Celtics and the Lakers exchanged baskets for most of the fourth quarter, a back-and-forth that suited Boston just fine. LA won the period 23-22 but lost the game 87-78.
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Edited by Michael Macasero