Lakers lose first game of Vegas Summer League against the Rockets

Despite a strong showing from Dalton Knecht, the Lakers remain winless in Summer League play after falling to the Rockets in their Las Vegas debut.

The Lakers started strong but lost steam in the second half, losing 99-80 to the Houston Rockets on Friday afternoon.

Dalton Knecht had another great game, scoring 25 points with six rebounds and four assists. Bronny James Jr. scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.

Tommy Kuhse pitched in with 11 points with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Maxwell Lewis had five assists to go with his six points and four rebounds. Colin Castleton had 10 points with 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Lewis started things off for the Lakers with a steal leading to a monster dunk. After that, Bronny took a three that he missed but followed it with a layup. He was much more aggressive with his offense, particularly attacking the rim. This young Lakers team was playing messy, but they looked more engaged than in the California Classic games.

The two sides went toe-to-toe in the first quarter. Knecht, Bronny, and Kuhse were the ones who led the charge offensively, and at the end of the period, it was a tie game.

Los Angeles did not start the second quarter with the same intensity as they did at the beginning of the game. They turned the ball over and looked discombobulated. The shots were there, but LA started cold, and it took a while for their offense to come back.

Lewis woke the crowd up again with a dunk off a missed three by Blake Hinson. LA's turnovers were piling up a bit and the Rockets jumped ahead by 11. A 3-pointer from Knecht stopped some bleeding from the Lakers. Despite making a good run towards the end of the half, the Lakers were down nine into halftime.

The Lakers quickly cut the lead to six into the third quarter with Castleton hammering home a big-time dunk. Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard was showing off his talents, making Knecht dance with an and-one. Both teams picked up the pace and went back and forth, exchanging shots and dunks.

Sheppard put on a show, drilling a 3-pointer from Steph Curry's range. Houston's lead kept growing as LA couldn’t connect on their shots. Much of the quarter was spent with the Rockets putting on a clinic with Cam Whitemore also having a nice game.

The Lakers began the final frame by trying to make a push to cut into the Rockets' lead. Houston pushed their lead back up to 19, taking away the small amount of momentum LA had built. Knecht’s sharp shooting continued with him nailing another 3-pointer. Bronny continued to struggle offensively with three missed 3-pointers.

The Lakers couldn’t put together a magical fake comeback to get their first Summer League win, as the Rockets kept their feet on the gas and didn't let up all second half.

Key Takeaways:

Knecht continues to look good each game. He’s finding his shot and being aggressive, scoring fadeaways and knocking down threes. He’s been dishing dimes comfortably as well.

Bronny’s offense is still a struggle, but overall, he continues to improve each game. His defense has been impressive.

Catch the next game of the Vegas Summer League on Monday against the Boston Celtics at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.