California Classic

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The Lakers will participate in the fifth annual California Classic Summer League hosted at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The Lakers join the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat for an expanded Classic.

Beginning July 3, the teams will play a total of six games featuring rookies selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, as well as sophomores and athletes competing to make NBA and G League regular season rosters.&nbsp;

This summer basketball celebration – from Monday, July 3, to Wednesday, July 5 – will feature a triple-header matchup each day with all six teams participating. Similar to other Summer League matches, modified game play rules will be in place, including 10-minute quarters. In addition, the two days will include exciting family friendly entertainment.

The general public will be able to purchase passes on Monday, June 5 at Kings.com/CAClassic.

Team rosters, entertainment, fan activations, broadcast information and additional ticket options will be announced at later dates.

For more information, visit Kings.com/CAClassic.

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Lakers to Play in California Classic Summer League in July

Mike Trudell

The Lakers tipped off their summer of developmental basketball with a 100-66 win over Miami in the first game of the California Classic at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Saturday afternoon.

L.A.’s group of young players – featuring five guys from their South Bay Lakers G League squad – had a considerable continuity advantage over Miami, and controlled the game from start to finish.

“They just competed at the highest level,” said Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, who’s handling head coaching duties for the Classic. “Summer league, you try to get these guys to play hard and play together, and for their first game, I thought they did pretty good.”

Scoring efficiently on one end operating out of Darvin Ham’s four-out, one-in system that will be implemented for the senior squad, the Lakers shot 47.1 percent from the field, including nine of 26 from three, and attempted 32 free throws (making 27) to Miami’s 19.

“Three days of practice, you try to give them a structure, and Darvin’s offense was built around a lot of what we did,” Handy continued. “One of the things we talked about before the game was, ‘How many times can we get three stops in a row,’ and they really dug into the defensive side and just tried to compete, made them take tough shots.”

That defense was anchored by center Jay Huff – who had two blocks, and numerous contests at the rim – as the Lakers shut down the paint, holding the Heat to 22 interior points on the evening. They also competed well on the perimeter, led by No. 35 pick Max Christie.

Though he struggled with his shot early, Christie scored five straight points in the fourth quarter, and had a team-high nine boards with three assists. But he was very noticeable on the defensive end, the 19-year-old giving Heat players trouble on the perimeter, and helping his teammates from the weak side when off the ball.

“Max is really long, he’s really athletic and he can effect a lot of shots,” said Lakers two-way signee Cole Swider, who started on the wing alongside Christie. “He can get up on guys and pressure them because he’s really good laterally, really good using his body and hands. Max is learning each and every day, and is obviously a very versatile defender.”

“Max is going to be great,” said Handy. “His first NBA-type game after being drafted, sometimes guys have a bit of nervousness. But I was just talking to Max about being a dog. I made the comment about him reminding me of Doug Christie – people don’t remember what type of player he was. When he was in Sacramento, Doug was a high-level, versatile guy that could defend, play offense. I see Max in that wheelhouse of being able to do a plethora of things. He had some great looks, just want him to stay aggressive.”

If Christie started slowly with his shot, Swider did not. The sharpshooter was highly efficient on on Saturday. A 40-plus percent 3-point shooter at Syracuse his last two seasons who impressed throughout practice last week with his quick, smooth release, Swider hit 5 of 7 FG’s, including three triples, towards 13 points.

“I think I turned down some shots, too,” said Swider. “I definitely got more comfortable as the game went on, and I think I can show more parts of my game. It’s a learning process like anything … I’m more than a catch-and-shoot shooter, and in the NBA you gotta be more than a catch-and-shoot guy, otherwise they’ll just take you away from the beginning.”

Fellow two-way player Scotty Pippen Jr. added 12 points with six boards and three assists, getting to the free throw line eight times to make up for a slow shooting night (2 for 8).

The Lakers started the game on a 7-0 run and never looked back, leading 25-9 after Mason Jones – who finished third in G League MVP voting last season – capped a run with two free throws. Miami managed a pair of threes late in the quarter to pull within 12 at 29-17, but they wouldn’t get within single digits for the rest of the game.

L.A. quickly pushed the lead back into very comfortable territory with a run to start the second quarter, as Paris Bass and Mac McClung, fellow SBL alums, combined for several of their eventual 32 combined points off the bench. A 22-10 quarter had L.A. up 51-27 at the half.

The second quarter also saw the first example of the new “Take Foul" rule, where a foul in the open court that disrupts a transition play gives the offended team one free throw plus the basketball (the Heat committed one on the Lakers).

Christie continued his strong individual on-ball defense in the third quarter by forcing a contested two from Miami’s Mychal Mulder, with MIA eventually finishing the game shooting only 28 percent.

The third quarter margin was 19-14, and fourth 30-25, as the Lakers were able to coast to a win.

Up next on Sunday afternoon is a 4:30 p.m. contest against Golden State.

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Lakers Open Summer League in Style￼

The California Classic Summer League is being hosted by the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco on July 2-3.

This marks the fourth annual event and the Lakers will be joined by the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, and previous hosts the Sacramento Kings.

Each team will compete in four games over the two-day event.

Lakers Schedule: Saturday, July 2 - Lakers vs Heat - 2pm PT - ESPN2 Sunday, July 3 - Lakers vs. Warriors - 4:30pm PT - NBA TV Tuesday, July 5 - Lakers vs. Kings - 2:30pm PT - NBA TV

Tickets go on sale through the Chase Center website on 5/17 at 4 PM PT. Get more details on tickets.

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Lakers to Play in 2022 California Classic Summer League

Rodrigo Azurmendi

Los Lakers concluyeron el jueves su participación en la primera edición del certamen California Classic con derrota por 77-71 ante los Golden State Warriors.

La figura del equipo fue Moritz Wagner, quien cerró la noche con un doble-doble, producto de 13 puntos, 13 rebotes y cuatro tapones en apenas 18 minutos de juego. Sin embargo, el alemán continúa enfocado en mejorar defensivamente.

“Honestamente, (la defensa) es lo que estoy tratando de establecer en este momento”, dijo el pivot. “El estar más cómodo defensivamente, ser sólido allí. Todo lo demás no me preocupa”.

Los Lakers dejaron a Golden State en un 37.5 por ciento en tiros de cancha, pero a la postre no fue suficiente para evitar irse barridos de Sacramento.

Los angelinos no tuvieron a Josh Hart en uniforme – estará disponible en Las Vegas a partir del sábado – y por ende Wagner tuvo un rol protagónico en goleo, algo que utilizó para mostrar distintos elementos de su repertorio, incluyendo un tiro de media distancia sobre la línea de base.

“Siempre lo he tenido”, dijo el teutón. “No es uno de los tiros más eficientes, y por eso no lo he usado en el pasado. En Michigan, jugábamos baloncesto muy, muy eficiente, así que no siempre era una opción. En la Liga de Verano, parte de eso es probarse e intentar cosas nuevas”.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes tuvo 14 puntos y ocho asistencias, mientras que Nick King (13) y Jeffrey Carroll (11) también anotaron en dobles dígitos.

Los Lakers, sin embargo, sufrieron 23 pérdidas en la que fue su tercera derrota consecutiva. Ahora el viajará a Las Vegas, donde debutarán el sábado por la noche ante los Philadelphia 76ers.

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Wagner aporta doble-doble en derrota ante Warriors

Joey Ramirez

SACRAMENTO — Moe Wagner collected his first double-double in purple and gold, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. But for him, summer league is all about the defensive end.

Honestly, (defense) is what I’m trying to establish here at this time,” Wagner said after the Lakers’ 77-71 loss to Golden State. “Just feel more comfortable defensively, be solid there. All the rest I’m not really worried about.”

Wagner filled the stat sheet on that end as well, swatting four shots on the afternoon.

While it was a nice defensive showing for Wagner’s Lakers — who held the Warriors to 37.5 percent shooting — summer league coach Miles Simon acknowledged that there’s much progress to be made by his rookie big man.

He had a handful of errors — five fouls and four turnovers — but the biggest focus is on getting him acclimated within the Lakers’ defensive schemes.

“We’re showing him a lot of film, and it’s such a big learning curve for him on our coverages and the help-side (defense) and the nuances of the defensive end of the floor,” Simon said. “But his effort is always there. He’s really vocal and talking, which we love.”

The Lakers also love the way that Wagner can shoot the ball, which he showed off against Golden State by hitting 5-of-10 from the field, including a couple of pick-and-pop 3-pointers.

Since Josh Hart rested for the upcoming Las Vegas Summer League, Wagner assumed a bigger role in the offense. With a bit more of a green light, he even cashed a baseline fadeaway from just outside the paint.

“I’ve always had that,” Wagner said. “It’s just not one of the most efficient shots, so I haven’t really done it in the past. At Michigan, we played very, very efficient basketball, so that wasn’t always an option. Summer league, part of it is trying out yourself and doing new things.”

Notes
The Lakers committed 23 turnovers, as they finished the California Classic with an 0-3 record. … Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 14 points and eight assists. … Svi Mykhailiuk scored seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. … Alex Caruso had seven points and three assists, while committing eight turnovers and shooting 2-of-6. … Marcus Derrickson led the Warriors with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

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Moe Wagner Drops Double-Double in California Classic Finale

Los Lakers seleccionaron a Moritz Wagner y Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk durante el Draft 2018 y ambos hicieron sus debuts en el certamen California Classic a comienzos de julio.

Rodrigo Azurmendi y Pepe Mantilla hablan sobre el estilo de juego de ambos, el razonamiento de Magic Johnson y Rob Pelinka, y cómo podrían encarar en una futura rotación.

Además, analizamos algunas de las cosas que mostraron en la Liga de Verano de Sacramento, incluyendo el tiro del ucraniano y la intensidad del alemán.

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Lakercrónicas: Post-Draft & California Classic

Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ summer league team finishes the California Classic against the Golden State Warriors.

1) Svi is looking to make it 3 for 3
In the first two games of the California Classic, 47th pick Svi Mykhailiuk has put together a nice first impression, averaging 13.5 points.

The Ukrainian sharpshooter has hit 5-of-14 from 3-point range (35.7 percent), which is below his excellent standard.

However, he has shown off his underrated ball handling and athleticism, making 6-of-7 from inside the arc, mainly by dusting defenders trying to close out on a potential 3-point attempt.

2) The others hope to bounce back
Aside from Mykhailiuk, Tuesday’s loss to Miami was a forgettable one for just about everyone on the roster.

Josh Hart and Moe Wagner both dropped 23 points in the California Cup opener, but couldn’t get into rhythm for the second match. Hart only played the first half, scoring a single point, while Wagner had eight points and five turnovers.

For Wagner, look for him to get back to finding success handling the ball against bigger defenders and rolling/popping out of the two-man game.

3) Golden State is aiming for a perfect Classic
While there may not be a “champion” of the California Classic, the Warriors can cement a 3-0 record by beating the Lakers today.

Jordan Bell is the most notable name on the roster, coming off a sizable role in Golden State’s title run. Bell has done a bit of everything so far, averaging 6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks.

And keep an eye on Kendrick Nunn, who has unsurprisingly led the Warriors in scoring (14.0), after averaging the NCAA’s second-highest point total last year (25.9).

Tip-Off: 12 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet in L.A. NBA TV nationally.
Location: Golden 1 Center — Sacramento, California

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3 Things to Know: Lakers vs. Warriors (California Classic)

SACRAMENTO — Moe Wagner isn’t used to losing. In fact, last year his Michigan squad fell just eight times during its run to the NCAA championship game.

So getting “punched in the mouth” in an 89-74 loss to the Miami Heat at the California Classic wasn’t a ton of fun.

“It sucks,” Wagner said. “Yesterday, yeah we played a good game and competed but we lost. Today, same thing. I hate that stuff.”

After dropping 23 points the night before, Wagner struggled alongside the majority of his teammates. He scored just eight points, shooting 3-of-9 from the field with six fouls and five turnovers.

Even sophomore stud Josh Hart had a game to forget, scoring a single point, missing all four shots from the field and committing four fouls.

Hart — who sat the entire second half — wasn’t originally supposed to play more than one game at the California Classic. But summer league coach Miles Simon liked how he lobbied the front office and coaches for permission to play.

“Josh kinda fought for himself to be able to play, which is great,” Simon said. “We love that about him. That’s why he was a national champion and one of the best college players in the last 10 years or so, and why he’s gonna continue to be an effective player for the Lakers as we go down the line.”

Wagner, Hart and the guys have seemingly been on the court nonstop, as they practiced four times in three days before playing games on back-to-back nights.

But even that pales to Alex Caruso’s last couple days.

The two-way-contract point guard was in Cuba for a game with USA Basketball on Sunday; flew from Miami to Los Angeles on Monday; and finally landed in Sacramento at 8:30 this morning.

Caruso had eight points, four assists and three steals, but also committed six turnovers and four fouls. After a season of shuttling back and forth between the NBA and G League, he wasn’t about to blame his struggles on travel.

“Nothing new,” Caruso said. “It’s pretty much protocol for my schedule.”

Notes
Svi Mykhailiuk was the Lakers’ lone bright spot, scoring 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting. … The Heat led by 29 points at the end of the third quarter. … Miami was led by Derrick Jones Jr.’s 21 points, four blocks and three steals.

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Lakers Stumped by Heat at California Classic

Game Time Update: The start time for the preseason game on 10/15 at Crypto.com Arena has been moved to 4pm PT