Three months after making his Las Vegas debut during the Summer League, Bronny James returned to Sin City for the Lakers’ fourth preseason game. The Purple and Gold took on the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena, where fans flocked to see the father-son duo of Bronny and LeBron James.
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Once the Warriors began pulling away with the lead, fans expected to see the starters check out of the game. More importantly, they were hoping to catch Bronny in action – even if it was just in garbage time.
At the end of the third quarter, T-Mobile Arena made its feelings very clear by chanting Bronny’s name during the game-break.
The crowd is chanting "BRONNY, BRONNY" as Lakers fans await Bronny James' appearance. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Warriors lead the Lakers 83-70.
🎥: @MikeDixon_VST | #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/8z91wxKboN
— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) October 16, 2024
Eventually, a few minutes into the fourth quarter, the announcement came in – “The Lakers’ number 9, Bronny James”. Vegas fans erupted in excitement immediately. The 20-year-old would stay in for the rest of the game, closing out with 2 points and 1 rebound. He went for only 1-of-5 from the field but showed instincts by registering a block.
Bronny spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin after the game and reflected on his pre-season, “I feel like that’s the most important thing, just to grow my confidence and be more comfortable while I’m out there playing. I feel good. The numbers could be better. I just got to get my confidence up.”
James has struggled to take the lid off the basket so far, going scoreless during his previous appearances against the Bucks and the Suns. However, the 55th overall pick has compensated for his offensive woes by displaying a penchant for defense and rebounding.
Unfortunately, his off-the-ball contributions wasn’t enough for Los Angeles tonight as the Warriors, who had a 13-point lead going into the last quarter, maintained their advantage and won the game 111-97.
21 points from Moses Moody did the job for the Bay Area side. Dalton Knecht was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers, knocking down 19 points in 21 minutes of action.
The Lakers are now 1-3 in the pre-season, but head coach JJ Redick is not registering any need for panic. “Our execution, ball movement, passing – I thought it was great in the first half. We just didn’t make shots… I was very pleased with the type of shots we generated,” Redick shared after the game in Las Vegas.
His side kept the ball moving last night, creating 20 assists with limited playing time from LeBron James. Redick’s offense has clicked in flashes this pre-season, highlighting its potential to take some of the load off LeBron and AD. We’ll find out how the cards fall in LA as their regular season tips off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, October 22nd.
