PALM DESERT (AP) — Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game Friday night, but LeBron James wasn’t in uniform with him when the Lakers hosted Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles’ two weekend games in the Coachella Valley.
Lakers coach JJ Redick elected to hold out LeBron James against the Timberwolves after three hard days of training camp, but the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history is likely to play against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday — which just happens to be Bronny’s 20th birthday.
Bronny James finished with two points in the Lakers’ 124-107 loss to the Timberwolves, missing his first five shots before making a layup with 56.9 seconds to play. But the 6-foot-2 guard also blocked three shots, and he picked up one rebound and one assist while playing the first half of the second quarter and most of the fourth, finishing with 16 minutes of action at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs.
RELATED STORIES
Redick said Bronny earned playing time in the Lakers’ preseason opener with three strong performances in practice this week.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis sat out the first of the Lakers’ six preseason games as they ease back into competition after a busy summer. The two played alongside Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker at the Paris Olympics, winning a gold medal for Team USA.
Redick said Thursday that both James and Davis will play in at least one game this weekend.
LeBron appeared to be keeping a mindful distance from Bronny during the game, allowing his oldest son to focus on his job. But LeBron spoke at length to Bronny during a timeout halfway through the second quarter, explaining something with hand gestures while Bronny nodded.
Bronny James was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick, and he played in summer league in Las Vegas. He is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason before spending a significant portion of the upcoming regular season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.
Phoenix’s preseason opener will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports app.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/45R8t3W
0 comments:
Post a Comment