Lakers lose last game of Summer League to Nuggets

Despite a strong performance from Cole Swider and the bench, the Lakers couldn’t overcome the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Without Bronny James and Dalton Knecht sitting out, the Lakers ended their Summer League journey with a 106-84 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Cole Swider scored 17 points with six rebounds. R.J. Davis ended with 17 points and three assists. Sir’Jabari Rice pitched in with 14 points and three rebounds. Ethan Taylor had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

It was the Cole show early with him scoring 12 of LA’s first 14 points. With Bronny and Dalton out, it was clear Cole would have to carry the load, and he was doing just that.

Sir’Jabari and Julian Reese gave the bench a boost with eight combined points while Tamar Bates stood out for Denver with nine. By the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by just one.

The second quarter started well for the Lakers. R.J. ignited for 10 points to help Los Angeles take the lead. It was more of a bench game for LA, with just Cole and DJ Steward as the only starters scoring. Terrence Hargrove Jr. had 10 points off the bench for the Nuggets.

At halftime, the Lakers were down four.

Ethan scored six points early in the third quarter. He was another Laker who was taking advantage of extra playing time off the bench. He drained his third 3-pointer of the game.

After cooling off since his scoring burst in the first quarter, Cole finally scored again, converting on a three-point play. Sir’Jabari was the third Laker to score in double-digits with 10 points.

At the end of the third, Los Angeles was down seven.

The final frame saw Denver pour on the offense, while Los Angeles struggled to contain them.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.