Las Vegas Summer League: Lakers Hold Off Suns in Summer League Opener
Austin Reaves is congratulated after hitting the game-winning bank shot against the Suns in the team’s Summer League opener in Las Vegas.
Devontae Cacok scored a team-high 13 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 73-72 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the MGM Resorts Summer League on Sunday night at the Thomas and Mack Center.
The contest got out to a slow start as the Lakers held a 14-12 lead after one quarter. It stayed tight through the second and the Lakers hung on to their two-point lead at halftime. The Suns came out much stronger in the third, where they poured in 28 points to take a seven-point lead into the fourth. However, the Lakers rallied back through the final period and capped it off with a game-winning put-back by Austin Reaves in the waning moments of regulation.
Reaves and Chaundee Brown Jr. finished with 11 points each for the Lakers. Undrafted free agent signee Mac McClung chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and a block, while Cacok filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in addition to his 13 points.
Second-year big man Jalen Smith led the way for the Suns with 15 points and 12 rebounds, in 29 minutes. Jaleen Smith — not a typo — added 13 points, while Ty-Shon Alexander (11 points) was the only other to score in double digits for the Suns.
