There were few positives for the Los Angeles Lakers to take from Tuesday’s 136-108 blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
With Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, and Marcus Smart all sidelined, the game felt close to a scheduled loss.
Still, the absences created opportunity. Fringe rotation players were handed extended minutes, and Bronny James emerged as one of the brighter spots on an otherwise frustrating night.
James posted a season-high 12 points, adding three rebounds, six assists, and a block across 25 confidence-building minutes.
Less than 24 hours later, he carried that momentum into the NBA’s minor league.
Lakers Assignment Continues Momentum for James
Suiting up for the South Bay Lakers on Wednesday night, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate, James once again scored 12 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting performance that included two made three-pointers.
He added three rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench, producing a stat line strikingly similar to his performance against San Antonio.
South Bay secured a 128-116 win over rivals the San Diego Clippers in a game that featured several NBA assignments.
Two-way players Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr., and Chris Manon all saw action. Timme led the way among them with 20 points and six rebounds.
Smith finished with nine points but struggled from beyond the arc, while Manon contributed five points, three assists, and a steal. All three had also played against the Spurs the night before.
G League standout R.J. Davis continued his strong run with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting display, including 3-of-4 from three-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free-throw line
Tevian Jones scored a team-high 24 points, knocking down four three-pointers. In total, nine of South Bay’s 10 active players logged more than 20 minutes in a rotation packed with ball-handlers and scoring options.
Defensive Identity Remains the Focus
Much of James’ production came early. He scored all 12 of his points in the first half, leading the team at the break while shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep, adding two assists.
In the second half, he shifted into more of a facilitator role. James went 0-of-3 from the field but handed out four additional assists. He finished the night plus-17, committing two turnovers.
Following the Spurs game, James reiterated that his primary focus is not scoring.
“I’d say defensively, that’s my role that I want to excel at,” he told reporters following the Spurs game. “We have a lot of guys, Luka, LeBron, AR. Those guys can go get buckets whenever we need them. But they need guys like myself, Vando, Jake, guys who can defend.
With so many NBA assignments in uniform, individual stat lines were always likely to be spread thin. Minutes were carefully managed across a deep roster.
At the NBA level, James has hovered on the edge of the Lakers’ rotation for much of the season and received a pair of DNPs prior to the Spurs matchup.
Before that contest, he had been assigned to South Bay for practice, according to Lakers reporter Trevor Lane, signaling his likely participation in Wednesday’s G League game.
In nine G League appearances this season, James is averaging 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field and 29.2% from three-point range.
South Bay now sits 11-8 in the G League regular season, holding sixth place in the Western Conference and firmly in the playoff mix.
The margin remains tight, however, with just a few games separating the top and bottom of the postseason picture.
