The Los Angeles Lakers fought hard and came back on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors to earn their sixth win of the season, 123-103.
The Lakers looked sluggish in the first half but came out with a lot more effort and energy in the second half to run away with the game in the second half. Lakers superstar forward LeBron James turned up his game after Anthony Davis left the game due to a left eye injury.
James, along with guard Austin Reaves, put the game to bed in the fourth quarter, which allowed rookie guard Bronny James to enter the sixth game of his young career.
Bronny was in the game for two minutes in the contest, but he did not record a stat.
He did have one personal foul.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
His appearance on the court for the Lakers comes a day after he made his G League debut for the South Bay Lakers on Saturday.
South Bay beat the Salt Lake City Stars by a score of 110-96 at the UCLA Health Training Center. Bronny contributed to the win, dropping six points on 2-for-9 from the field, including 0-for-4 on 3-pointers.
The rookie also chipped in three rebounds, four assists, and two steals to help get the win. He played throughout the game before being subbed out for the final time late in the fourth quarter.
LeBron watched the game from courtside seats on the opposite side of the main stands with his wife, Savannah, and their 10-year-old daughter Zuri. Gloria James, Bronny’s grandmother, was also in attendance, along with Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
The Lakers have spent time this offseason putting an emphasis on player development, with James being one of the main pieces of that. Redick spoke earlier this summer about the plan for James, saying he will be given an opportunity to grow his game.
“For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as like, case study one, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game,” Redick said in July. “And as we sort of build out our player development program holistically, he’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”
It’s unclear how long the Lakers will keep Bronny on the team, but he is expected to be back with the South Bay Lakers once their next game arrives, which is on Friday, Nov. 15, against the Santa Cruz Warriors.
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