Here is what you need to know before the Lakers face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals.
1) The Lakers are armed across the roster
Nobody at summer league is on the level that Josh Hart is playing at. Last year’s 30th overall pick has been sensational, averaging 21.6 points — more than any other player in Vegas — and 3.0 made 3-pointers — second-most — while shooting strong clips of 47.3 percent from the field and 39.5 beyond the arc.
Perhaps most impressively, he has produced at such high volume and efficiency while attempting difficult shots and showing off an array of moves, including off-the-dribble 3’s and Eurosteps.
Svi Mykhailiuk has been right behind him, putting up 15.0 points on 47.4 percent shooting, mixing spot-up triples with driving twos.
Alex Caruso has been the one setting the table with a team-high 5.4 assists per game, while Jeff Ayres has performed admirably replacing an injured Moe Wagner down low, providing 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and strong defense.
2) It’s been pure purple and gold domination
The Lakers are 5-0 at summer league, and have won 11 straight in Vegas dating back to last summer. Somehow, this year’s squad has been even more ruthless than the previous one led by Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma.
All but one of L.A.’s games have been won by double figures, and the average margin of victory has been a whopping 15.8 points.
Hart’s scoring is clearly the fuel to this machine, but he and his teammates have been even more successful on the defensive side of the ball.
The Lakers’ stifling defense has held its opponents to just 36.8 percent shooting from the floor, and a pitiful 24.8 percent on 3-pointers.
With a win against Cleveland, the Lakers would tie the summer league record of 12 straight victories, set by the 2012 and ’13 squads sent by Golden State, which included guys named Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
3) Sexton is the one to watch
With LeBron James choosing to join the Lakers, Cleveland now enters a rebuilding era, which will be led by eighth-overall pick Collin Sexton.
The 19-year-old has already been the Cavs’ No. 1 option at summer league, averaging 18.3 points and 3.7 assists, both of which are best on the squad.
While Sexton doesn’t shoot much from the outside, he is one of the best slashers here in Vegas, using his elite quickness and aggressiveness in the paint to get buckets.
There is zero reason for the Lakers to think Sexton can’t take over this game. After all, this is the same guy that dropped 40 points in college despite having to play a quarter of the game 3-on-5 when ejections and injury left him with only two other teammates.
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet in L.A. ESPN 2 nationally
Location: Thomas & Mack Center — Las Vegas, Nevada