Bronny James stats, highlights: Lakers rookie scores eight points vs. Rockets in Las Vegas Summer League debut

Brendan OSullivan

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Bronny James stats, highlights: Lakers rookie scores eight points vs. Rockets in Las Vegas Summer League debut image

Come for Bronny James, stay for Reed Sheppard and Dalton Knecht.

The 19-year-old rookie from USC was aggressive to start Friday's contest, but he was wildly inefficient, scoring eight points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field and 0-of-8 from 3 in 27 minutes. James is a work in progress, and while he will make his NBA debut early in the 2024-25 season, he will primarily be a G League player.

His aggressiveness was a major positive in the first quarter. James hunted for his shot and had six points by the end of the quarter. Then, he seemed to disappear on offense. Perhaps it was a coaching decision to play him off ball, but James wasn't much of a factor offensively in the second and third quarters.

James still showed up with solid defense, picking up Sheppard full court multiple times. He tallied two steals and five rebounds in the contest.

Sheppard and Knecht stole the show, however. Sheppard, the No. 3 pick to the Rockets in the 2024 NBA Draft, scored 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including a couple of logo 3-pointers, five assists, four rebounds and three blocks.

Knecht, the Lakers' first-rounder, had a game-high 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He could see significant minutes in the Lakers rotation this season, so an excellent performance like this was promising for the organization.

James and the Lakers return to action in Las Vegas on Monday, July 15 at 10:30 p.m. ET against the Celtics.

Sporting News tracked live stats, highlights and updates for James' Las Vegas Summer League debut game.

STREAM: Watch live NBA Summer League games using Sling TV

Lakers vs. Rockets final score

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Rockets2628261999
Lakers2619161980

MORE: Best games to watch at NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas

Bronny James at Summer League: Live stats, highlights from Lakers vs. Rockets

(All times Eastern).

Final: Rockets 99, Lakers 80

9:24 p.m.: James makes a nice read to Colin Castleton but the big's shot gets blocked.

9:22 p.m.: Very inefficient night for James, who is shooting 3-14 from the field, including 0-8 from 3. Knecht, on the other hand, has looked great. He's up to 25 points on 9-17 shooting and 5-10 from 3.

9:10 p.m.: Another missed 3-pointer for James, who seems to be short on just about every shot he's taken tonight.

9:06 p.m.: After a quiet two quarters, James is aggressive to start the fourth quarter. He's hunting for his shot but is 0-2 so far.

9:05 p.m.: James is on the floor to start the fourth quarter. His floater is short on his first shot.

End of third quarter: Rockets 80, Lakers 61

8:50 p.m.: James heads to the bench late in the third quarter.

8:45 p.m.: Sheppard shows off his handles on the and-1 play. My oh my.

8:43 p.m.: Ah, James can't convert on the alley-oop. Would have been a nice fastbreak highlight for the rookie.

8:42 p.m.: James turns the ball over on the drive early in the second half. 

Halftime: Rockets 54, Lakers 45

8:31 p.m.: James flies in for a rebound, his fourth of the night.

8:30 p.m.: Tough, tough jumper goes down for Knecht in the midrange.

8:25 p.m.: James has been relatively quiet in the second quarter. He hasn't been as aggressive as he was in the first.

8:16 p.m.: Ill-advised foul from James there as he picks up a foul on the 3-point shooter.

8:14 p.m.: James picks up right where he left off — defending Sheppard full court.

8:13 p.m.: James is back in the game with 6:16 left in the first half.

8:04 p.m.: James begins the second quarter on the bench.

End of first quarter: Lakers 26, Rockets 26

7:53 p.m.: James goes to the bench with a few minutes left in the first quarter.

7:50 p.m.: James slams in an easy two points as he's up to six points.

7:49 p.m.: James has been aggressive in the first quarter of his Summer League match. He's up to four points and is picking up Sheppard full court.

7:46 p.m.: WOW, AJ Griffin with the emphatic put-back slam.

7:46 p.m.: James gets stripped in the backcourt trying to take the ball up. Rockets end up with an easy layup. James misses a 3-pointer on the other end.

7:44 p.m.: Oh man, James gets swatted at the rim going for another layup.

7:43 p.m.: James plays nice on-ball defense on Sheppard and grabs a rebound before getting a layup on the other end.

7:41 p.m.: Cam Whitmore showing his experience early with a nice backdoor cut and finish. Sheppard gets the assist.

7:40 p.m.: Sheppard will have eyes on him tonight as the Rockets' rookie makes his debut. He was the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

7:34 p.m.: Just a few minutes until tip-off in Las Vegas.

7:20 p.m.: James is showing off his hops pregame.

7:11 p.m.: James is the starting shooting guard for tonight's Summer League matchup.

7:03 p.m.: Bronny James is in the building ahead of his first NBA 2K25 Summer League debut. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET.

What channel is Lakers vs. Rockets on?

  • Date: Friday, July 12
  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: ESPN+, Sling TV

James makes his NBA 2K25 Summer League debut on Friday, July 12 against the Rockets. Fans can watch him live on ESPN or stream the game on ESPN+ or Sling TV.

Sling TV will carry all NBA Summer League contests — as well as a wide variety of other sports — at a starting price of just $15 during the first month with Sling Orange.

What time is Lakers vs. Rockets tonight?

  • Date: Friday, July 12
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

The Lakers vs. Rockets game begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 12. The game will be played in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Lakers NBA Summer League schedule

Here's the Lakers' NBA 2K25 Summer League schedule:

DateOpponentTime (ET)TV/Livestream
July 12Houston Rockets7:30 p.m.ESPN/Sling TV
July 15Boston Celtics10:30 p.m.NBA TV/Sling TV
July 17Atlanta Hawks9:30 p.m.ESPN/Sling TV
July 18Cleveland Cavaliers9 p.m.ESPN/Sling TV

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Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.