After a victory that ended with a game winner in double overtime on Sunday, the Lakers are back at it on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. This marks the finale of the California Class tournament for Los Angeles.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
When: 4:30 p.m. PT, July 6
Where: Chase Center
Watch: ESPU, League Pass, Prime Video
It’s only been two games since the Lakers began their summer campaign and suffice it to say that Cameron Carr has already won over the fanbase. After putting
up 19 points in his debut on Friday, the 24th pick from Baylor University followed that up with 26 points and eight rebounds on 7-16 shooting on Sunday.
What stands out about Carr’s performance thus far isn’t just the impressive statistics but how he’s accumulating them. The 21-year-old forward has shown that he can shoot — he’s 9-20 so far from 3-point range this summer — get in the paint at will, utilize his size and athleticism to his advantage and move his feet very well on defense. He’s been carrying the team from start to finish just like what star players usually do.
It’s likely that Carr’s impressive run will continue for a while, or at least until the Lakers decide to shut him down for the summer. That’s because this team needs his firepower to win games, but in fairness to the squad, they had better contributions across the board in Sunday’s victory.
Adou Theiro played a more controlled and efficient game, Anton Watson scored the game-winner and Chris Mañon, Zhaire Smith and Peter Suder had their fair share of buckets. An all-around contribution from the team, along with defense and controlling the paint, should be their MO moving forward.
On Monday, it would be nice to see the Lakers defeat the Spurs, who also played on Sunday and were blown out by the Golden State Warriors. It will serve as a confidence booster for them before they head to Las Vegas, where they will face more competitive opponents. How this Lakers team performs in this one will tell a lot about their character, especially since they’re on the back end of a back-to-back and coming off a game where they played in two overtimes.
This Spurs team has yet to win in the California Classic tournament, so there’s a good chance that they’re going to go hard in this one. The purple and gold should be prepared and look to conclude the tournament on a positive note. Let’s see if Carr and co can do just that on Monday.
Notes and Updates
As of now, there are no injuries to report on the purple and gold side.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
