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
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Rockets | 26 | 28 | 26 | 19 | 99 |
| Lakers | 26 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 80 |
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.
Reed Sheppard just COOKED Knecht 💔
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) July 13, 2024
pic.twitter.com/QNCXp0TNwu
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.
Bronny James first dunk as a NBA pro 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/24n6AYh7vp
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) July 12, 2024
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.
AJ GRIFFIN😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Fgz2TicKLh
— BGB♛ (@BonesGotBizzy) July 12, 2024
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.
Bronny James’ first bucket of the Las Vegas Summer League 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 12, 2024
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/u2JKlEVW8W
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.
Bronny James warm up windmill dunk 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 12, 2024
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/kZ1GDtNn32
7:11 p.m.: James is the starting shooting guard for tonight's Summer League matchup.
Starting for the #LakeShow
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 12, 2024
PG: Tommy Kuhse
SG: Bronny James Jr.
SF: Dalton Knecht
PF: Maxwell Lewis
C: Colin Castleton
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.
Bronny arrives for his Vegas Summer League debut 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ycifG9QB1V
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2024
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:
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV/Livestream |
| July 12 | Houston Rockets | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN/Sling TV |
| July 15 | Boston Celtics | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV/Sling TV |
| July 17 | Atlanta Hawks | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN/Sling TV |
| July 18 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ESPN/Sling TV |
