The Lakers weren’t going home without a notch in the win column.
Down by 25 in the third quarter, the Lakers went on a ridiculous run, overwhelming Golden State for an 88-87 victory in their summer league finale.
The Lakers lost their first four games in Las Vegas (including one to the Warriors) and seemed to be in line for a fifth. But the second half was an entirely different story, as L.A. outscored its opponents, 55-30, over the final 20 minutes.
Jordan Caroline led the Lakers’ attack, scoring a team-high 20 points. The Nevada product was a true inside-outside threat, getting buckets at the rim and stroking three 3-pointers, all off the dribble.
But the most dangerous player with the ball in his hands was Jaron Johnson. Fresh out of the French League, Johnson was given the rock and attacked ceaselessly, scoring 19 points.
Defense was also key for the Lakers, who held Golden State to 39.0 percent shooting, including just 7-of-31 from deep (22.6 percent). The biggest miss of all came as the buzzer sounded, when former Laker Travis Wear couldn’t connect on a corner triple that would have snagged victory for the Warriors.