The Warriors came out firing in their final Summer League campaign of 2021, but they gave up a 17-point lead and fell late in a 84-76 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas.
Two fourth quarter turnovers by the Dubs were taken advantage of by the Lakers to bring the Warriors’ lead down to 70-68 with just under four minutes left. While the game remained separated by just one possession from there into the final minute, a Trevelin Queen (21 points) layup with 29.5 seconds left put the Lakers just out of range of a Warriors comeback.
While this was not the best note to end the summer on, the Warriors saw positive production from the squad.
TEAM LEADERS
Getting the hot hand early was Warriors’ 2020 second round pick Justinian Jessup who started the contest with 16 first half points. His barrage fueled the squad’s early lead over the Lakers and led him to finish as the Dubs’ leading scorer with 18 points.
Also getting buckets in their final appearance of the summer were Kyle Guy and Moses Moody, notching 16 and 14 points respectively.
But offense was not the only skill put on display as center Selom Mawugbe, the Santa Cruz Warriors’ leader in blocks last season, swatted five blocks Tuesday evening to go with eight rebounds.
Tuesday’s game wrapped up the Summer League campaign for the Warriors, who now turn their attention to training camp as the team and Dub Nation prepare for the 2021-22 regular season. The first slate of games were just announced and includes matchups with Southern California rivals Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, and a Christmas Day matchup against the Phoenix Suns.