Nuggets vs Lakers | NBA Summer League 2025 LIVE 🔴 Denver vs Los Angeles Jul 18 2025

Nuggets vs Lakers | NBA Summer League 2025 LIVE 🔴 Denver vs Los Angeles Jul 18 2025

26 Summer League. Closing it out in Las Vegas. Game number five here on day nine of the Thomas and Max Center. It is the Nuggets and the Lakers. Going to take a look at the semifinals. Yes, we’re at that stage of summer league. Now, tomorrow’s action beats more teams starting Saturday 4 Eastern on ESPN. They’ll go headtohead as they’ll try to come away with rings here in Las Vegas. Alongside Darren Collison, I’m Chris Le. He’s not going to play, but he’s still one of the stories of Las Vegas. If your number one was the hype, if your number two is about his production, well, one thing about Bronnie James is he came with an attitude that was very humble, right? He said, “Look, I’m not just out there trying to score. I’m trying to do all the little things that it’s going to impact winning.” And that’s what you expected about Bronny James. But look, he’s the second leading scoreer on this team. He did what he was supposed to do defensively, and he was able to put an all-around good game together in the last three games. So, his summer league is done. What do you think? I thought he’s played impressive. He looked very decisive in all the decision-m that he wanted to do from a guard perspective. He was very him and he’s just trying to be anywhere to just have an impact on the game defensively and that’s what you like about a young player like Brian. All right, so the Lakers one of their stories of summer league is the strong performances by Cole Schwider who is ready to go for this game. Swider 17.8 points per game so far in Las Vegas. Yeah, aside from Bronnie, he’s also been one of the most impressive players on this summer league team with the Lakers and his ability to shoot and move without the basketball has been truly special to watch. Now, the Nuggets coming off of their sevengame series loss to Oklahoma City in what was a classic in the second round. Now, in this finale of summer league, a lot of players not in the lineup, including Boo Buy, Hunter Tyson, Don Holmes, Logan Johnson, Spencer Jones, DJ Fel. Hey, this is your opportunity. You shouldn’t be mad at guys sitting out. You should be happy that you get the opportunity to make an impression on your coach before training camp. All right, that is who’s not playing. As for who is in the lineup, yes, he highlighted Swider. He’ll try to continue to put up those great scoring numbers. A look at Donovan Williams, who is a player who is due to his rarest played at UNLV. His final season for being undrafted in 2022. In his three games so far, he’s had about five points per game. The finale of the night from the Thomas and Mack, the last game of summer leagues for the Lakers and the Nuggets. Hey, one thing for a post you’re for me. Exactly. This is a good chance to showcase your skills for the whole league to see your game on display. We’re friendly to uh Noah. In our last game, we had the Bulls. We did not bring up that moment of Yeah, we’re probably not postar Bates just a shade under 12 points per game so far in summer league. 50 win season for both of these teams last year. In fact, they have the same record, 50 and 32. But it’s just it’s funny how perception works, right? You know, similar record, but what happens in the postseason is what our last taste is. For Denver, you had their great series against the eventual champs and OKC took them to the limit. And for the Lakers, bowing out in the first round despite having whole NBA as a whole. Off the screen, DJ Stewart. No, here come the Nuggets. Three on three. Great rotation to get back for Los Angeles. And it leads to a Donovan Williams bucket for the Nuggets. And no Ronnie James, no Dalton Connect, who’s been a story for the Lakers since summer league, both in California and in Las Vegas. Slider gets on the board for the Lakers, their first three. Paul Slider is doing a little bit of everything during the course of the summer league. I mean, he’s coming off handoffs, pin downs. He’s pick and roll. He’s coming off the pick and roll shooting at a very high clip. You got to know where he’s at at all times. No offensive board to Gordon. Settles out to Stewart. Back of the rim and off. Nice pace. Change of pace. You know, he had the three, didn’t like the three. Hit him with a hesy going to the basket and finishing him with contact. was undrafted out of Iowa State. Jones could score it. He led Iowa State in scoring despite only starting nine games. Wider up 9-3 early on. Both teams want their second win in summer leagues. Wider scorer just scoring at every variety of moves. I mean that right there coming off the curl very patient with a floater inside the paint. The ball down low. No continuation. Ibu Baji was fouled. Christian Koko commits the personal right here. Tight curl. Relax, patient, doesn’t rush. Nice little float over the top. Really impressed with his game. Chris, he’s had a great run all summer long. Teams did take the court yesterday. Part of the reason why you see a lot of the inactives in the game today. Swider leaner. Oh, yeah. He said he was pushed. I thought he was foul on that play. Tough contested three. Curtis Jones can’t get it. He’s just one of five players since 1997 in college basketball to average 17 points per game off the bench. And if you can score off the bench, there is a role for you. That Jones we’re just mentioning. Jones was just 155 pounds as a high school senior. Didn’t have any division one interest. started out at a junior college at Iowa before moving on to Buffalo and then TJ Alberger’s team at Iowa State. Slider off a screen. He is feeling it. Any type of space for his defenders to get through that screen. I mean, he’s coming off really tight. Is able to get a nice little shot in the mid-range area. Reese Beakman tiptoes the baseline and sneaks it past Koko. Nice drive but to keep his dribble. He kind of uses the rim so he doesn’t get a block shot or get his shot blocked. Good play. Good pace to the run early on. 139 Nuggets. Davis. Nobody picks him up. Dancing around the screen. RJ Davis can put up numbers in North Carolina. Koko gets the block shot that time. So some revenge for getting scored on a possession ago. Taylor like a break train leaves. That’s another one. Slider is sizzling in Las Vegas. I think we’ve seen enough. I I know. I want to see him play still. Everybody else is sitting out. We need somebody to very play all four quarters of this one. Very true. He is five for five. An incredible start for Swider. He has 12 from the Lakers 14. Caitlyn Clark from the logo. You know, life would be easier if I could do everything from the logo. Allow me to assist. They match. P E Z O L. Autumn, bro. From the logo. State Farm with the assist. But wait, there’s Marco and Mike. So, what do you think of Marco’s Pizza with Mike’s Hot Honey? That’s so good. Marco’s Hot Honey Magnificico is back for summer with dough made in-house daily. Topped with two kinds of pepperoni, all drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey. Only at Marcos. When you’re with MX Platinum, you can enjoy the Centurion Lounge and access to incredible experiences worldwide. So being a fan for life turns into the trip of a lifetime. That’s the powerful backing of American Express. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a big deal before. I got you. But now Wendy’s has buck biscuits. Like the honey buddy chicken biscuit, so you’ll never skip breakfast again if you’re smart. Breakfast for a buck. Got to be Wendy’s. Make no mistake about Snider. I mean, his off the ball movement is impressive as any guard right now. Summer league coming off tight off the screen right here. Gets it right in the shooting pocket. No dip into his shot. I mean, he is playing phenomenal. And you better find out where he’s at on the court at all times because he has it going, Chris. Yeah. Red light shooter in Las Vegas. Five for five to start this game. That’s a gorgeous spin move from Bates. Nuggets on top of the seesaw. 1514. Just under five minutes to play in the opening quarter. Swider once more. Finally a miss. Play for the Lakers on a two-way in 2022. Gets another chance. Finally cools off. That time I thought he had the shot, but you know because they closed out so aggressively, he should have shot fake and going to the basket. But great play out of timeout, they saw a matchup that they like against Swider and just a nice little spin move going to his right shoulder. Swiders played in 35 games in his NBA career, including down the stretch of the season last year for Toronto. Julian Reese off the back of the rim. And here come the Nuggets. Bates with a shake. Reathers on the baseline. Shot clock at six. Bates navigates. Lasers to Smith. settles off the rim and Ree pulls the rebound. Davis left open back of the rim and off. Slider chases the rebound. He’s more than just a scorer. Lakers trailing by one. A lot of on ball reps for Swider with the absences for the Lakers and Ree. This was all predicated off the drive by Swider, but better cut by Davis. Was able to find him at the last minute and Davis makes another good pass too to his big fella. Set up by Swider. And for more on him, let’s go down to Nibil. Yeah, guys, Cole Swider has become one of the more intriguing players here at summer league, making a real push for the Lakers roster spot for a team that needs shooting, frankly. Said he worked really on his shot in the off season to make it more consistent. He wanted to be a weapon on the floor and that’s certainly been the case here in Vegas. Shooting 44% for three coming into this one, two or three in this game, off to a great start in high volume attempts here at Summer League. But he’s also placed a real emphasis on the defensive end of the court, making the right rotations, using his defensive instincts to his advantage. He knows he can’t be a liability on that end of the floor. But at 68, 220 lbs, a real interesting prospect for the big club. A floor space is something Luther LeBron can really use, guys. Oh, no question. He’s 26 years old. That makes him one of the older players here at summer league. He continues to produce. gets fouled in free throws for Swider when you return. At AT&T, we confidently guarantee our network. Oh no. What we can’t guarantee you and your teammates being too connected. What up, Chad? Double. Oh no. I texted you guys. I was going to wear I wore that last night. I got dressed first this morning. I thought you said you were going to wear connection means something. That’s why with AT&T, we’ll proactively make it right with a credit for a full day of service if there is a network in order. That’s the AT&T guarantee. Get the drink that gets you at Sonic. Upset stomach, iberogast. Indigestion, iboggast. Bloating. Iberogast. Thanks to a unique combination of herbs, Iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. Six digestive symptoms. The power of nature. Iberogast. You waited a lifetime for this moment. Now it’s time to celebrate the official collection. The Oklahoma City Thunder NBA champions. Available now at NBA Sto. A Fanatics Experience. Summer League action continues tomorrow on NBA TV, ESPN, and ESPN. Knicks Wizards 3:30 on NBA TV. And then on ESPN tomorrow, it is the semis of summer league, Kings, Raptors for Easter, Hornets, and OKC to follow. Winners of those two games will play for the summer league championship. And yes, you get to take home a ring. Cole Swider, you can see right there already 13 points. Like that shimmy he has at the line on his free throw routine. I love it. kind of have a little style in this city. Played for the Heat, played for the Pistons, played for Toronto, and has had a previous spin with the Lakers from downtown. Curtis Jones. Good shot by Curtis Jones. But another situation for Cole Slider talking about him. Look, even if he doesn’t make the Laker roster, I mean, I’m sure there’s a list of teams that will you can use his service because he shoots the ball really well. That was a link whistle, but athletic feet to even get that Kyota Reichi Akabundu Aoku got all the way up there. That’s why it’s so important to play hard at all times and try to make an impact at any way because there’s so many teams that are watching this game right now, not just your current team. Live for the big who had the block shot on the previous possession. Just a beat in front. Jones picks it up. Shot clock at just six. Here’s Johnson. Davis slaps it from behind. Lakers get a steal. One on three. Doesn’t matter. It kind of does. But first, a bump and a block before the steel. So, we’ll stay here on this end. Foul on Curtis Jones. First foul in the last two minutes. Well, you brought it up. I mean, Darren, these are two teams that are contending, full throttle contenders. You have LeBron and Luca, and then you have Jokic. You are in contention mode. So perhaps there isn’t as many spots on the rosters for younger players trying to prove themselves, but all 28 other teams are watching the action from Las Vegas, right? And and something that the fans can’t see is there’s a lot of other team scouts that are in the building center around the whole gym right now. So look, you this is an opportunity to showcase your skill. So maybe another team may use that service that you can provide. deflected out of bounds and it saves on this side. You just saw that depth chart for the Nuggets and the big move that they made. Of course, Michael Porter Jr. going out to Brooklyn, Cam Johnson coming in. So, you get a shooter to replace a shooter and for the finances of the team, that move made a lot of sense. They had to give up a first round pick in the process. Absolutely. I think the one thing that Denver probably wanted to key in on was getting more shooters this offseason. And they did that with Cameron Johnson and Tim Hardaway, but they also brought back Bruce Brown who’s who’s experienced himself, right, that can defend and do all the little things that they can help to win games. So, I have Denver as my pick to come out the West. Yes, I do. Um, I know OKC probably has a lot to say about that, but I just love the addition that Denver has made all season long. I think you surround Nicole Joic with a lot of great shooters. I think it’s going to be a lot of great things happening for them for this upcoming season. They took him to seven games this past season with Matt, of course, a roster that you think that this upcoming season is a better one than what they just put on the court. So, it’ll be interesting if those two rematch with Denver get the upper hand. For sure. They have great two-way players and Cameron Johnson, a player that we don’t necessarily talk about, and Peyton Watson, who I feel is going to have a great season coming forward. I mean, his length, his ability to be able to switch one through four with his length, I think it’s going to provide a lot of great stuff for Denver’s defensive proudness. And then you add the shooting with Jamal Murray, Tim Hardy, as I mentioned, Cameron Johnson’s a great shooter. He’s shooting over 40% from three. This is they just did a terrific job this offseason. Then Valunis, too, that you don’t want to forget about who who came over from Sacramento Kings in the trade, I think, is going to help. Yeah, Drew Mson is a summer league head coach for the Nuggets. The top note on the screen was about the promotion of David Adelman. And they were one of two teams joining the uh Grizzlies last year who made those late season coaching changes. And for teams that were in the playoff picture. You just never see something like that. And we saw two of those type of moves down the stretch of last year. Took advantage of it. showed off the prowess in the playoffs and gets the full-time job. Terrence Hardro Jr. off the glass and in trailing the playa off the rim and a whistle. Just under 30 seconds left in the first quarter and a loose ball foul will send Julian Ree to the line. That last name Ree sure could be more familiar with his sister, Angel Reese, WNBA allstar. Free fan perks. That’s a win with NBA ID. Get exclusive merch deals. chances to meet NBA legends and more all summer long. Join free now at NBA.com/ID are in the NBA app. It’s WNBA Allstar in Indianapolis. See all those stars takes the court coming up tomorrow. Lefty layup goes through for Rain Smith. Love that drive. Kept his dribble. looked off the big like he was going to pass a pocket pass but says goes up for natural lip off the glass. Three to shoot the end of the first quarter. Rice wipe it off. Serge Bari Rice did all he could with the fancy footwear, but the ball was in his hands as the horn sounded. Fun run in the first slider. 14 points for the Lakers who trail by one. We’re all unreasonable about something. For us, it’s creating an uncompromisingly delicious bourbon. Handcrafted, consciously made. Makaker Mark, perfectly unreasonable. When Superman is off saving the day, DQ is here with a $7 meal deal. Now with the $2 small blizzard treat upgrade. Get any small blizzard treat like our newest menu hero for just two bucks more this summer. Save on all your faves at DQ. Burn us out. Out of time. There wouldn’t be an hour in the day that I didn’t think about hair thinning. I chose Neutrifol because it was 100% drug-free and clinically tested. I experienced thickness, volume. Neutrifall is lifechanging for me. Get growing at neutrfold.com/men. All right, welcome back tomorrow. A pretty even first quarter. What did you like about that first 10 minutes? Um I I like the way that we were moving the ball. Uh played good team defense. They made some tough shots, but uh feel like we cleaned the glass pretty well. Didn’t give up too many old boards. So, I like the energy we playing with. You came in here undrafted, so this is a showcase for you. How has your game progressed with this summer league experience? I mean, I’ve just been allowed to come out here and play my game. U make mistakes and play through them. So, I mean, I’m just grateful for the organization for allowing me to to have a platform to continue to develop. Appreciate the time. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thank you. That’s Tamar Bates undrafted and signed a two-way deal with the Nuggets back on July 1st. first couple years at Indiana, then moved on to Missouri where he was an excellent shooter, including at the free throw line where he led the nation in free throw percentage at 95%. Off the jump ball three, way off and the Lakers on the run. Davis fires to the corner. Three goes P Y Johnson. That’s a great play by RJ Davis to be able to get the defense to collapse and hit it for the wide open three in the corner. Jones a lot of dribbling. Davis in his way. Gets it back and sneaks it in. Well, he said that’s why I’m dribbling. He has a plan. 2727. Back and forth in the first quarter. Davis. Oh yeah, the giant killer. How many times have we seen that at UNCC? The Terry West award for the best shooting guard in the nation. Whistle on the interior. A forceful drive. But the previous Nuggets possession being strong with the ball. Curtis Jones and having a game by R.J. Davis with the right right layup over to big is shown his unique ability to score at his size. Donovan Williams switches the free throw. Last season had a lot of different stops whether in the GLeague, the CBA, the CBL. in the G-League averaged 19 points per game with the Westchester Knicks. Yeah. Something Tamir Bates said in his interview, you know, he talked about he has a platform to to play mistake free, right? All these young players, this is their platform right now to play mistake free and be able to play through some mistakes where in the regular season, you may not have that opportunity. This is the time now. Have the freedom to explore. Davis explores the three and it just curls smoothly in from New York. He was the 2020 Gatorade player of the year in New York. Distance triple Williams and Swider who’s back in for Los Angeles. Two-man game with Ree. Ree a rookie out of Maryland teammate of Derek Queen. Bad news for Queen will be evaluated in 12 weeks with the injury and bad news of course for the Pelicans as RJ Davis sizes up and hits a three. Lakers by six. Trap bounce pass in the lane and Baji booms. That’s a great play by Chris Jones. I mean coming off the pick and roll. I mean last second play to Baji. See him at the last minute. I mean terrific play and awareness. That’s a kick ball. RJ Dave with eight for the Lakers. Well, he’s patient right here. He knows the shot he wants, but he’s just sizing him up to get the shot that he wants to go. And then Curtis Jones comes off the pick and roll. Nice little wraparound pass to his big. Makes his big fella happy. Got to always make those guys happy. Johnson was open initially, turned it down, hesitation, then the acceleration. Ty Johnson and what you’ve said throughout our time working together, DC, the change of speed is key. Got to have change of pace in your game. You can’t just go one speed all the time. I mean, we’re obviously seen the Lakers play, but we’ve seen LeBron James play at a different types of paces his whole career. Luca is one of the best guards that plays at different types of paces. That’s a that put back jam right there. But if you’re a guard, you have to understand the pace change of the game and understanding it’s not about going too fast or too slow. You got to be able to change. Harris Harrow Jr. Thunder went through. Davis was held. Foul on Denver. Makes a nice read with the Hezi going to his left. We live in such a three-point error. Sometimes you can get caught up and shooting the three, but you got to remember to put the ball on the floor and get an easy basket. That’s a two. Believe you have a coach’s challenge on that last call. So, let’s take a look when we return. Oh, look. I’m bottomless. Just like bottomless apps for $9.99 at Buffalo Wild Wings. That’s right. You can get bottomless mopsticks, fried pickles, and so much more for you and all your bottomless friends. Bottomless apps for $9.99 only at BDubz. Progressive makes it easy to see if you can save money with a commercial auto quote online so you can get back to your monster to-do list. Super helpful. See if you can save money at progressivecommercial.com. Thank you. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a big deal before. I got you. But now Wendy’s has buck biscuits like the Honey Buddy chicken biscuit. So you’ll never skip breakfast again if you’re smart. Breakfast for a buck? Got to be Wendy’s. Dreaming of the perfect family trip. Who are you? Honey Price Line’s AI travel assistant. How about Eco Resort? Free breakfast zipline. Done. Yes. My basketball journey began in high school. As a kid, I wanted to be a point guard. As I got older, I realized that my forte was shooting the basketball. Coming out of college, they called me great Scott. And then my rookie year in Orlando, I made three threes in a row with Paul Porter, who was a PA announcer in Orlando. He yells out, “Great.” Then he stops. He goes, “Tree.” Look over, I like that. Here I am now. 3D on NBA TV. It was called a defensive foul on the floor and the Nuggets coach Andrew Mson decided to challenge and it looked like a lot of contact initiated by the offense in Davis. After review, the ruling on the floor is confirmed. The defender Williams grabs the elbow of the offensive player Davis. This is an unsuccessful challenge. Denver will lose their timeout and their ability to challenge. Oh wow. You seem to disagree. Well, I did see Davis give Williams a forearm. Julia McFaden who gave the explanation during the break. They had a uh singalong. You seem to be getting into the singalong during the last stop as Joe floats it and Pogo sticks it back in. I I love that play by Curtis Jones. I mean, picking up full, you know, RJ has it going. He’s playing physical on the defensive end. This is what scouts want to see. How are you impacting the game from a defensive side of things? Re pass kicks. But look, just find screen physical with it easy, too. Jones. That’s a That’s how you make an impression on your coaches. Those type of plays. Sergeari Rice right through the nets. Just smooth as it drops straight through. We’re talking a little bit about Curtis Jones. The Bill has more. Yeah, guys. His mentality the whole time here at Summer League is trying to find his fit. He said he’s simply trying to make plays anyways possible. If you go back earlier to Tuesday, he had 20 points against Toronto, but he was actually happier about rebounding and the hustle plays that he made, which led to other good things on the court. He really believes those kinds of plays don’t go unnoticed by the coaching staff in the front office. And he also said one thing that’s kind of stood out to him is the length and physicality of the players here. Everyone’s a little longer, everyone’s a little stronger, so those gaps aren’t as wide. But again, Curtis Jones trying to do the little things to impress out here. And that’s to your point what you just mentioned DC like those other things are what catches the coach’s attention. Look, as a young fella, you have to understand you’re coming to a team with multi-allars that can score the basketball. They don’t need you to score the basketball all the time. They need you to play a specific role. Right. Curtis Jones situation. Look, you’re coming to a team Nicole Joic. You’re giving Nicole Joic the ball pretty much the whole entire game. They have Jamal Murray to come off the pick and rolls to make plays. How can you make yourself valuable to this team? The defensive side of things and what you see from the hustle play right there is one way to do that. In a way, it’s like, you know, the NBA can be classified as, you know, maybe like 50 of the best stars in the league and then, you know, the next x amount of players are the best in the world at playing off of stars, right? And it’s that’s not to say that you can’t score the ball, you can’t be aggressive offensively. Yes, you can. There’s already stars on the team, but you can still be a star in your role, whatever minutes that the coach provides you by playing hard on the def. One to shoot. And Rain Smith cannot get that one to fall. It’s a shot clock violation. And boy, do these teams have stars. Yeah, the Lakers with their duo, their quote unquote new duo that they were able to put together in the middle of the year and tried to make a run from there with Luca and LeBron and make a run at it. Great regular season record, but just ran into the Wolves in the first round of the playoffs and then yeah, maybe the uh the best player in the game. J say Gilis Alexander might have something to say about it, but Joic widely regarded right at the top of the NBA. Reese loses. Bounce pass Williams on the follow. That’s Tamar Bates. Ty Johnson turns the corner. Got it to the glass. AI came to make that one tough. Oh, there’s a collision. Two players heads came together as they were diving for the loose ball. Johnson, you can see him there. Oh, hate to see that. Head-to-head contacts. Williams and Johnson got blood on the floor as well. We talk about the effort and the hustle. You have to show you can do the other things. Welldeserved round of applause from the folks at the Thomas and Mack. Stay away from it. You don’t have gloves on. That’s Bates who’s assisted up. So Samar Bates who collided with Ty Johnson was a scary sight and and it comes from just players hustling and doing exactly what you want to do. This is the finale. Your last game in Vegas playing in front of coaches and scouts. You want to show you’re a dirty work player. They say you put your body on the line and right there is the downside. Yeah, it’s a downside, but look, you know, Tamar Bates is having a great game and I’m sure, you know, if he doesn’t come back into the game, they’re going to remember that play, right? And the fact that he’s trying to dive on the floor and for that loose ball and hustle, right? That’s not a bad thing. You know, you’re gonna get hurt playing this game, but it’s how you go out in terms of playing hard, giving everything you got is what the coaches want to see. Just unfortunately, it was just a bad break on a bad play right there. Again, Ty Johnson on the Lakers side and Tamar Bates for the Nuggets. Then the uh sanitary timeout to make sure they wipe up the court, get all the blood removed from the surface. That has seen a lot of basketball and bouncing ball day after day. This is day number nine. We’re in the second week of summer league in Sin City. Rice turns it over out of the stoppage. Williams waits for it through the reach. No whistle. He wanted one, but Donovan Williams does get it through. That play was ignited by Hard Grow Jr. You know, he stepped up on that weak side help was able to get a deflection for easy two in transition on other end. Floater. Well done, DJ Stewart. Nice little floater. I think we’ve seen like four or five floaters in the game so far. It just tells you how much skill you need or how much skills you need to have coming into an NBA game because it’s so much crowded with athleticism and things that can block shots at a high level. That floater is going to be key to your success as an offensive player. Cole Swider ready ready to check in here is giant killer right nice little right-handed floater. He goes all the way to the basket on that. more than likely it’s going to be contested at the rim, but that floater was able to give him a nice high percentage shot. How long did it take you to make that adjustment as a guard in the NBA? It takes a little bit of time because I think at the college level or even at the high school level, you’re so used to getting to the basket at will and getting easier easy layups. But when you’re in playing in the NBA, you’re playing against sevenfooters, guys that can block your shots, as I mentioned, at a very high level that that floater is something that you’re going to need, especially for a point guard. And you’re at a smaller size. We’ve seen the variety of ways to get to the rim. Sometimes you can’t get all the way there. You’re right. Whether it’s the the floater, the pull-up jump shots, another way to uh change things up and not be predictable. Yes. And and now you got to be creative with your floater. Sometimes you could go off two feet. You can do a right right off the right foot to a right-handed floater off your left foot to a regular right-handed floater. So many floaters and versatility that you need when it comes to that shot to be effective in the paint as a guard. Lakers nuggets final game at the Thomas Max Center here tonight served up on a platter Smith to KE. KO definitely has the athletic system to jump on anybody in this gym. My guess is that’s not going to be his last game from behind and altered that shots. Lanky big man all over the place. Koko he’s short on his floater as a big mani akaundu aoku is k ae for short right wing three off the front of the rim from Williams and here’s the Lakers on the run Stewart are we slotted with a slap tapped it right back down. Williams again inside. He’s hit hard. No call. Letting him play. Stewart has a match up he wants. Let’s see what he does right here against the big off the front of the rim for the former Duke Blue Devil. Hardrove inside. Already you can see KO’s length affecting that last shot. on Stewart. His activity defensively, Chris, has been amazing so far. But up inside. Wow. K A E N O No. Arms that just keeps on going. Smith from three front of the rim. Slider hunting and Beakman flings. Harrove there it through and a foul. The loco came on late. Terrence Hargrove Jr. says it with his chest. Al to Ka served on a platter from rain. My moderate to severe plaques psoriasis held me back. Now with Sky Rizzy, I’m all in with clear skin. With Sky Rizzy, three out of four people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months and most people were clearer even at 5 years. Skyrizzy is just four doses a year after two starter doses. Don’t use if allergic. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections in TB. Tell your doctor about any flu-l like symptoms or vaccines. Now’s the time. Ask your doctor about Sky Rizzy, the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic and psoriasis. Learn how Abby can help you save. Where some saw a pickle, we saw a masterpiece. A Sonic Smasher with Gorillo’s pickles and dilly ranch, tangy pickle tots, and a pickle slush with pickle flavor bubbles. It’s called the big deal meal and it’s a work of art. People, they’re good for squad goals and squad. People are good for these kinds of cheers and these kinds of cheers. Jim Be best enjoyed together. Official spirit of US Soccer. Ronnie James, part of a bunch of Lakers not playing in this summer league finale, but he of course is the story. I feel like year number one in Vegas for Bronnie was about the hype. Your number two has been about the production. Yes. And look, it’s not easy coming out here every day when you know the fans are expecting you to play a great game as a young player. But he’s he’s definitely fulfilled that role. Um I the one thing I like about some of the things that he said in his interview is he’s not trying to go out there to be the best scoreer. He’s trying to find a niche and that his niche and his role is to play defense and that seems that seems to be maturity on his level at that age early on. And if he has that mindset as any young player, they’re going to be in that in this league for a very long time and have the success that they will have. And his maturity certainly is impressive. in the bill, comfort at the position. Secondly, it’s just confidence. He’s definitely grown over the last year and a half and that’s a testament to the work that he’s put in watching film, really being focused, being in the right spots defensively, and that’s been a priority for him and the coaching staff. We’ll actually uh check in to get that full report in a second, Bill, as that floater on the Nuggets end is short. Taylor with under a minute to go on this first half for both these teams have highlighted some flashes even though a lot of the guys we’ve seen throughout summer league are not playing here in the finale for these teams. About six seconds separate the two clocks. That was a great effort by Donovan Williams to close out hard against Cole Rider who has it going from the three. Makes him put it on the floor to make a tough two. K a short on a three. If he can get that shot with his protection, look out. Slider 3 seconds. Had an excellent first quarter. Slapped away here that he won’t fall. And that ends the second Nuggets and Lakers back and forth through 20 minutes. It is the Nuggets that lead by four at the break nighttime in Las Vegas. But wait, there’s Marco and Mike. So, what do you think of Marco’s Pizza with Mike’s Hot Honey? It’s so good. Marco’s Hot Honey Magnificico is back for summer with dough made in-house daily topped with two kinds of pepperoni all drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey only at Marcos. Clark from the logo. You know, life would be easier if I could do everything from the logo. Allow me to assist. The answer is the match. P E Z O L. Autumn, bro. From the logo. State Farm with the assist. Oh, look. I’m bottomless. Just like bottomless apps for $9.99 at Buffalo Wild Wings. That’s right. You can get bottomless mobsticks, fried pickles, and so much more for you and all your bottomless friends. Bottomless apps for $9.99 only at B-Dubz. When my hair started thinning, I didn’t want to hear the wives cracks. I was ignoring my hair cuz I was a full-time working mother. But luckily, I found Neutrifall. My hair was getting stronger and thicker. I finally feel like myself again. Good man. That’s real good. This copyrighted broadcast of the National Basketball Association may not be re-ransmitted, reproduced, rebroadcast, or otherwise distributed or used in any form without the express written consent of the NBA. Welcome to the NBA 2K26 Summer League. We’re just getting underway from Las Vegas, Nevada. Yep, we’re used to it. Temperatures at about 110 all week, but that doesn’t matter because come inside, the basketball is going to be super chill. Remember that guy, Victor Wmanyama, Cooper Flag, will be the a big number one pick coming in this year. This guy’s been in the building all afternoon. When Cooper finally gets in the building and his Mavericks play, I don’t know, can you take it to another level? Cooper is the new flag bearer for the procession of new faces coming to take charge in the NBA. Welcome to the league flag. to play in summer. Las Vegas, Nevada, and one of the most highly anticipated, highly debated runs of the entire summer. It’s the Lakers against the Mavericks. Liddell all over him. The step over. He kicks it up for the win. Booya with the win on the buzzer beater. driving. It’s just fun to be out here, be with the guys, enjoy Vegas, and and get to know these guys and and just have fun hooping. Oh my goodness. Here we go. I love it. I love it. school. When you’re with MX Platinum, you can go the distance for what you love. And with travel perks like guaranteed 400 p.m. checkout with fine hotels and resorts, you have more time to celebrate. That’s the powerful backing of American Express. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a big deal before. I got you. But now Wendy’s has buck biscuits. Like the honey buddy chicken biscuit, so you’ll never skip breakfast again if you’re smart. Breakfast for a buck. Got to be Wendy’s. Warning, the following footage is offensive. Williams, defensive, extremely confident, occasionally disrespectful, and so devastatingly good you’ll change your passwords to WNBA 2025 OMG. So good. These swoopers can hoop. Exclamation point. Exclamation. Viewer discretion is advised. Welcome to the W. With Chime, I can get paid when I want. Why do I accept waiting 2 weeks for payday? I work hard every day, but I don’t get paid every day. Because of Chime, I don’t have to wait to get paid anymore. With My Pay, I can get up to $500 of my pay on my schedule. There’s no interest, no credit checks, no mandatory fees. I love being in control of my money. And for the first time, I can control my payday. And you can, too. And that’s why I Chime. Join me at chime.com and get paid when you say, “What if your body didn’t have to hurt after being active?” Introducing Stogo, the only apparel with adjustable medical grade support designed to help you overcome injuries, minimize pain, and regain the confidence to get back out there. Engineered with 90 ft of high strength cables that reinforce the body and control dials that allow you to adjust the support. Stoco is trusted by professional, worldclass athletes and weekend warriors who all want one thing, more activity and less pain. Learn more at stoko.com. So those are your four Thunder Hornets Kings back and lays it in. Clifford bullford feeling fade away with the doctors are playing for rings this weekend. The first half stats from the Thomas and Max Center. Denver a 4743 lead. They have the advantage from the floor 51%. Hello, welcome court side alongside Southern California’s Darren Collison, Chris Lewis here, Nville Kareem with us as well. So, no Bronnie James in that first half, but hey, Cole Swider had quite a statement in the first 20 minutes. Yes, he did. And he came off shooting with an amazing clip right off the gate. I mean coming off screens doing a great job of reading the screens and then RJ Davis did a great job of helping him. But can’t say enough about Cole Swider. I mean his ability to just read the floor when he’s coming off screens and whether the defense is shooting the gap for him to fade or a tight curl for him to get a nice little mid-range jump shot speaks to the veteran presence that he’s already had coming into this uh summer league. You know, he’s played at this level before. He’s played with a lot of great teams, great organization. So he had the chance to make an impression not just with the Lakers but other teams in the NBA. He came out of the gates couldn’t miss. He made his first five shots but he actually missed his next four. So he’s five of nine shooting and two of four from behind the arc. You’re just joining us. No Dalton connect. No Bronny James for the Lakers. No Trey Gon as well. Arthur Kuma not playing. Nuggets, no Hunter Tyson, no Don Holmes, no EJ Liddell, Logan Johnson. Some of the guys that we’ve seen prior games in Las Vegas. A pass towards the rim got deflected. Spotting up and Menga decided to turn down the three. Instead, it’s worked to Taylor. Nothing but net from the three-point line. Some great basketball being played on both teams. Chris, I’m very impressed with the ball movement, body movement, and execution and attention to detail on every play. That’s right on Q. Donovan Williams. Two teams that are contenders in the Western Conference. Absolutely stacked West. The squads and rosters in full contention mode. Seems a little bit less room for guys trying to prove themselves at this level. But still for the guys who are on the court, what’s at stake here? All other teams are watching. Not to mention teams from around the world as these players try to continue their professional journey and the rebound grab by Ibu Baji. Schwider kind of cooled down since that hot start he had the first five minutes of the game. But give Denver credit because they made him put it on the floor and made it hard for him to create tough twos either inside the paint or mid-range and run him off the three-point line. DJ Stewart. This is his fifth game played here in the city of all these lights. Las Vegas averaging 11 points per game coming in fifth year since being a stand out at Duke. There’s Beakman reverses it. Stewart again. Swider set throws the baseline cut off and the Lakers reset. I watch Slider right now. Well, he wants it. Layers to the top of the arc. Instead, it’s Taylor with the rainbow with a pot of gold on the other end. But that was off the attention on Swider. I think the weak side guard came off because he thought Swider was going to be the recipient of that first pass off the three. But it was a nice little crosscourt pass by Stewart. That’s that’s what shooters do. It cost so much attention, you know, for the on the def or for for defenders to focus on and keying on. That’s what makes Seth Klay Thompson, guys like them hard to guard because you’re so worried about where they’re at on the court. The gravity and it comes from hitting threes like that. Dean Gordon from the corner. And that’s a prime example right there. You’re worried about Swider shooting that three, but Swider makes the nice extra pass to the corner for an easy three. Strong take Keonte Johnson. Couple of free throws coming up for the 65 25 year old out of Kansas State. Right here. Look, you’re worried about Swider, you rotate over. Swider does a great job of making the extra pass. Simple basketball. Both these team seems sharp for the final game of summerly. Johnson one year at Kansas State. prior time before that. Florida hits the free throw there. You remember he collapsed on a court four games into his junior season at Florida. Dad only spent three days in a coma for awakening and then slowly began that recovery process. He missed the rest of that season aside from the senior day starts. transfer to Kansas State, worked his way back and became an all Big 12 performer. So, what could have been a tragic story, his work ethic turned it into a positive one. Williams gets into the lane, puts it in off the glass and one. Great use of the screen by Williams to off the screen, didn’t like what he wants, so he had another rescreen and was able to get downhill for easy layup to convert the and one. Williams a couple of years at Texas and one at UNLV running front of the rim and outer picks up the rebound. Interesting look on the face of Noah Gordon my rebound. They’re competing for rebounds here. Chris, you didn’t notice. Everything’s a battle. Taylor’s leaner rocketing out of bounds. will go the other way. You don’t want to be one rebound short of a, you know, a miss on a filter, right? Cuz I know these scouts teams, they like to have their filters, right, of like the player at least like 10 points, three rebounds, or six assists. You don’t want to miss the arbitrary cut off because you’re going to get one rebound because your teammate stole your own rebound, right? Yeah. Stewart dimes, Taylor fires, puts it through. Probably the second or third really good play by Stewart right there coming off the pick and roll. Hitting a weak side to Taylor for an easy three. Reverse layup in traffic. Johnson. It’s the best scoring game so far in Las Vegas. Nuggets again on the run. settles it to Curtis Jones passes a three and the Nuggets up four. That’s today’s game, right? Pull up a three in transition. Know years ago, you know, coach would probably said that’s a bad shot, but this is what teams want to see, be able to shoot more threes. And that right there, Curtis Jones did a good job of shooting that three in transition, knocking it down. When did that start to turn? I imagine your rookie year that probably was a bad shot. Fighter, count it. and one. Well, I think we’ll answer that question next. The transition to what is a good shot, what is a bad shot? That was a fun conversation. Americans, we can do anything we want except one thing. We just can’t stop being American. So get out there, take your swing, rev your engines, and let freedom ring. And never, ever, ever stop being American. Nothing stops America and nothing stops Ram. Right now with employee pricing plus purchase and get an average of 10,900 below MSRP on 2025 Ram 1500 Laramie crew cab 4×4 models. Hurry in. Offer ends July 31st. Get the drink that gets you at Sonic. People are good for laughs, for snorts, for cries and goodbyes. People are good for doing nothing or getting up to something. People are good for you. Jim Beam, best enjoyed together. One of the most storied rivalries ramps up on NBA TV. The debut of the WNB. It’s a coastal clash when LA and New York take to the court. Everybody is so fired up about this game. Stewie leads to Liberty. Stewart the catch and the finish who look to torch the dynamic Kelsey Plum and the Sparks launches and hits collide in a coastal showdown. Sparks Liberty. The action tips off July 26th on NBA TV. Welcome back to NBA 2K 26 Summer League. The bracket of the semis of Summer League. The championship is Sunday, 10 Eastern on ESPN. The semi-final action is tomorrow starting at 4 Eastern with the Raptors and Kings, Nuggets, Hornets to follow. See which of these teams will be champions in Sin City and get the rings that go along with it. Spider hit the jumper before we step aside. Completes the three-point play. We were talking when we left about the transition, especially the transition threes of when that turned into a good shot because through I’m sure most of your basketball playing life before you got to the league, that was a bad shot. It was. And I want to be careful with my words because I felt that Steph and Clay were the ones that were making that shot very valuable by shooting threes in transition. But because they can shoot that shot, then it became an issue because everybody else thought they were Stephan Clay, but they were able to shoot that shot the way that Stephan Clay can. So, it just shows you that the the way the game is being played right now with so many three-point shooting our game has evolved in such a in a great way, you know what I mean? I think there’s a lot of talk of what style is better, the 90s or this style. I mean, look, every era has their pros, right? And you can pick and nitpick every era and say what they didn’t have, but the game has evolved and players are much more skilled now. It doesn’t mean that there’s players better than this era in that 90s. It just means the game is involved. And it’s thank it’s thanks to those players in the 90s why we’re at where we’re at right now. It’s not that of bounds here. I mean, if you were coaching, like how what would be the the dividing line of, okay, it’s okay for you to take that transition three because I know there’s a lot of fans on their couch when they watch the game. It’s like when I back in my day when it was a three-on- two fast break, we we would cut to the rim. It’d be for a layup. Is anybody have the freedom to go out there and flare to the three-point line on a fast break or do you have to be a certain level of shooter to have that freedom to do it? Well, to become a certain level shooter, it takes preparation, right? These players that are shooting these shots are working on this shot relentlessly in the offseason. So, when they’re shooting that shot, you know, this is a normal shot to them because of the work that they put in. Roger Davis made a great job to the right. Energy has been so great right now for Denver Nuggets. But going back to that point, you know, it was a bad shot back in the day because nobody really shot that shot or nobody even worked on that shot to be effective. But now you see a lot of players being efficient because of the preparation that they’re putting in. Reese slips rotation from the low man is the foul on Re Smith and Ree heads to the line. Now he’s not one of those guys who’s going to go to the three-point line. and he’s an interior big Hardrove St. Louis guy out in the open floor. His energy has been contagious right now. It just seems he’s everywhere on the court defensively. He’s running the floor, running the lanes. You know, he’s making his teammates better by playing off the ball. How do you make your teammates better by playing off the ball? It’s essential to your game as a role player in this league. It’s not just about making plays with the basketball. Can you make your teammates better without the basketball? And Hardrove Junior is doing that. Out of bounds on the end line. It actually stays on this end. And going to Harrove making his summer league debut this year. He played in Denmark a season ago. 37 games in Denmark. He was an athlete at St. Louis. chance to watch a few of his games. A Skywalker, but didn’t have the ability to shoot it. He had a game-winning three the 23-24 season right at the buzzer. Wayward pass out of bounds. So, the Nuggets take possession. You can see the size 6’4. The question with him is, will he shoot it well enough at his height, but he is a flyer. Little zone action by the Lakers. Shoot out of the zone. Beakman bin bounces it off the front of the rim. Davis has the big thought about taking it to the rim himself. Instead, the late dish. Rice jab step. Six to shoot. Isolation bumped off of that board. Nearly fell. instead he will head to the line to shoot a pair. I’m impressed with Lindsay Harden. I think she’s doing a great job of making ingame adjustments. And you see on that last possession they went zone kind of caught Denver by surprise them taking a you know contested three-point shot. But her ability to make in-game adjustments and being able to communicate with her players during timeouts has been really impressive to me. Was a priority for JJ Reic to make sure Lindseay Harding was a part of his Lakers staff. Former assistant at Sacramento and course a great player, first overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft. 6565 with three minutes left. Rain making it rain from the corner. Rain Smith. A great pass by Curtis Jones to pick up the basketball to him for that three by Smith. Little over 12 minutes left in the summer leagues of both of these teams. Poundounding defensively. What a job by Curtis Jones would not let Rice get loose. 231 to go. Nuggets by three. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a big deal before. I got you. But now Wendy’s has buck biscuits. Like the honey buddy chicken biscuit, so you’ll never skip breakfast again if you’re smart. Breakfast for a buck? Got to be Wendy’s. Hey, should I convert my IRA to a Roth? You’re asking the wrong guy. You should ask right online. That’s what I do. You know, financial advice should come from a vetted fiduciary financial adviser who understands your personal financial needs. Makes sense. Take the free advisor match quiz on smartasset.com to find one who can answer your questions and help you achieve your retirement goals. No, push it. That’s one intelligent donkey. You mean a smart ass? Get started now at smartasset.com. But wait, there’s Marco and Mike. So, what do you think of Marco’s pizza with Mike’s hot honey? It’s so good. Marco’s Hot Honey Magnificico is back for summer with dough made in-house daily topped with two kinds of pepperoni all drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey only at Marcos. LeBron James is shot in history. And there it is. It’s his summer long heat check. And here we go. The NBA’s Generation Myth showcases their talent at summer. I like summer basketball. NBA 2K26 Summer League coverage continues on NBA TV. This copyrighted broadcast of the National Basketball Association may not be retransmitted, reproduced, rebroadcast, or otherwise distributed or used in any form without the express written consent of the NBA. Well, there’s your Lakers off season recap heading into the first full season of the LeBron and Luca duo. Now, the question is DC, did the team do enough to put themselves in the upper echelon of contenders? I guess we’ll find out, right? So, look, I mean, when you when you talk about the Lakers, Luca and Austin Reeves did a great job in that second half. You know, they didn’t have the the playoffs that they wanted to have, but I thought Luca did a great job in the second half of the season. And from the reports and the pictures of what it looks like, he looks like he’s in shape. He looks like he’s ready to go. And obviously, you know, LeBron James is going to contribute to this team as well. But I think the biggest question mark is what is the impact of Luca AR and LeBron going to have on a guy like DeAndre Aiden? DeAndre Aen has some success with the Suns, right? When he’s playing with a guy like Chris Paul or Devin Booker, Rosson Reeves, Luca, they’re very great playmakers. LeBron’s a very good playmaker. I think it’ll take DeAndre Aen’s game to another level, but it remains to see. They have a lot of good things to look forward to because they have a good team with DeAndre now into the f part of the same draft class. Luca and DeAndre Aton. Do you feel like Aton is the type of big that thrives with Luca? I think so because Luca does a great job of playing with bigs that can rim roll to the baskets, right? And he’s done a great job over there in Dallas because they had a lot of rim rollers and they opened up a lot for him and his teammates as well. But with a guy like DeAndre Aton, he’s played with Chris Paul in the pick and roll settings where he’s looking he looked great by just rolling to the basket. He’s he had that mid-range jump shot that a lot of people forget about sometimes from DeAndre and I think it’s not just Luca but Austin Re is a great playmaker off the pick and roll. We know about LeBron. So he has a lot of great playmakers on his team that’s going to take his game to another level and I think it’s going to impact his game in a great way. You can see DeAndre Aton his career numbers and I think uh the the one thing that could be concerning is his career numbers look a lot like his rookie year numbers and wanting to see the growth and the development of Aiden. Well, talk a little bit about the Lakers and infection control timeout in Las Vegas. Always dry scoop before you run. Listen to me. A hard dog diet got me shredded. It’s time we listen to science. One a Day is formulated with key nutrients to support whole body health. One a Day. Science that matters. Build the pool yourself. What could go wrong? Some things are better left to a professional. It dried so fast. Like when it comes to finding financial advisors, so leave it to Smartasset to find them for you. Take the free quiz at smartrasset.com. Then you’ll be matched with up to three vetted fidiciary financial advisors. To get started, take the advisor match quiz now at smartasset.com. Terrific. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a big deal before. I got you. But now Wendy’s has buck biscuits. Like the honey buddy chicken biscuit, so you’ll never skip breakfast again if you’re smart. Breakfast for a buck. Got to be Wendy’s. We’re talking Lakers late in the third quarter. Nuggets Lakers summer league finale. Okay. And the trio, the ball handlers. They got a taste of what it was like life together. And the record was strong there towards the stretch run of the season. Of course, they ran into a strong defensive team that could match up with them with the Wolves in the first round. Yes. And it just seemed like when Luca got to the team, the offense was ran much smoother, right? It’s a lot of playmakers on the court that had great decision making every possession. I mean, LeBron is probably one of the best IQ players that we’ve seen in today’s game, but then you couple that with Luca who’s another great playmaker as well as Austin Reeves. I think this is going to be a great thing for DeAndre Aton. You know, there’s been talks about his effort and if he’s able to be up for it and the challenges that he’s faced during his time in Portland, but when you play with a guy like LeBron, his leadership is going to be contagious and he has no choice but to play at a high level because everybody else is giving maximum effort every game. Rain Smith hits the three. Rice leaner off glass won’t go and the Nuggets racing the other way. knocked out of bounds. Now, the Lakers, one underrated loss from their team, Dorian Finny Smith, who played a key role defensively in their starting and closing lineups, maybe even more importantly, and now he’s a member of the Rockets. Yeah, just a huge swing for an organization like the Rockets to pick up Dorian Finny Smith. And I’m sure the Lakers will probably want another 3 and D guy, you know, before the season starts, but those don’t come cheap. They they don’t come cheap. But, you know, I I I think when you have a team of Austin Reeds, Luca, and LeBron, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win a lot of ball games. And, you know, that’s all you can ask for. As we put a bow on this, you said that the Nuggets are your favorite out of the West. Where would you slot the Lakers? You’re going to really put me on the spot here, huh? That’s why you made the big bucks over here. I look up to you. Um, you know, that’s a great question because, you know, I think everybody is going to is talking about OKC and the Houston Rockets and some of their additions. I think if the Lakers can find a way to get a 3 and D player and whoever that may be, I think they’ll be around top three, top four in the West. Um, I still think Denver and OKC have the experienced core that gives them an advantage. Um, Lupa, this is his, you know, essentially his first full season with the Lakers and it’s going to take a little bit of time, but, you know, coming in this this year, you know, I I expect great things from Luca and the Lakers cuz like I said, that second half of the season, they looked really good despite early exit from Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be a fight. Nuggets could be a top that group. Two seconds to go here in the third vacuum in that rebound. And three quarters complete. The Nuggets have opened up a seven-point lead. Where some saw a pickle, we saw a masterpiece. A Sonic Smasher with Gorillo’s pickles and dilly ranch, tangy pickle tots, and a pickle slush with pickle flavored bubbles. It’s called the Big D meal, and it’s a work of art. We’re all unreasonable about something. For us, it’s creating an uncompromisingly delicious bourbon. Handcrafted, consciously made. Makaker Mark, perfectly unreasonable. But at the end of the day, nobody cares for us. Burn us out of town. When my hair started thinning, I didn’t want to hear the wise cracks. I was ignoring my hair cuz I was a full-time working mother. But luckily, I found Neutrifall. My hair was getting stronger and thicker. I finally feel like myself again. All right, welcome back, Cole. You know, you’ve been competing for a roster spot here with the Lakers. What are you trying to show the front office over the last couple weeks? First off, all glory to God for giving me this opportunity. Um, honestly, that I’ve just continued to improve each and every single year. Uh, my defense got better, my body looks better. I’m still shooting the ball at a high level. So, just trying to prove it all. You got a game to finish here. How do you finish it the right way? Yeah, we got to share the ball. We got to make shots. We got to get some stops and uh just keep on playing together. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Great to hear from Swider. And it’s what you said DC at the top of the show when we talked about all of who’s not playing for the Lakers. No Connect, no Ronnie James, no Basley, no Trey G. But you said like as a another player on the roster, that’s great news because it means more opportunity for guys like Swider to play with the ball in their hands or get minutes and showcase your skill sets. Absolutely. I mean, Coach Waters actually been doing this with with guys like Bronnie and Connect, even in the lineup. That’s a testimony to his work ethic. You know, he says something key about working on his body. Why is that such a big thing to a shooter like him? Because it’s constant ball movement, constant body movement, right? As a great shooter in this league, you just don’t want to stay in one area. You want to continue to move. And that’s what makes defenders hard to guard you when you continue have constant movement as a shooter. Look at Klay Thompson and his the movement that he’s made. Steph, I keep mentioning about him. Coach Swider understands the assignment building on his body and his condition. That’s why he’s looking great this summer. Time out. Hey, Spider said his body looks better to be here in Las Vegas. Not sure a lot of the uh fans and maybe even media could say the same thing. Spend so much time in Vegas. Sliders looking good. Step aside. Time out. When you’re a small business owner, your to-do list can be a lot. Super helpful. What about invoices? Progressive makes it easy to see if you can save money with a commercial auto quote online so you can get back to all your other to-dos. Absolutely not. Get a quote at progressivecommercial.com. Oh, look. I’m bottomless. Just like bottomless apps for $9.99 at Buffalo Wild Wings. That’s right. You can get bottomless mopsticks, fried pickles, and so much more for you and all your bottomless friends. Bottomless apps for $9.99 only at B-Dubz. Bourbon. This balance doesn’t just happen. With subtle notes of bright cherry and warm vanilla, there’s a method to our smoothness. Makaker Mark. Perfectly unreasonable. Upset stomach, Iberogast. Indigestion, Ibrogast. Bloating, Iberogast. Thanks to a unique combination of herbs, Iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. Six digestive symptoms. The power of nature. Iberogast. Two summer sensations are flying into DQ. One is sure to save the summer and the other, yeah, he’s Superman. Hurry in for the new Superman cake batter cookie dough blizzard treat right now at DQ. Welcome back to the NBA 2K 26 Summer League. Summer League action continues tomorrow. NBA TV, ESPN, the ESPN app. NBA TV tomorrow, Knicks Wizards. And then on ESPN, the semis of summer league, you have the Kings and Raptors against Charlotte in OKC. Those four teams will battle for the summer league trophy and the rings that go along with it. Yes, it is an accomplishment to win of all 30 teams in Las Vegas as Smith hits the three. Do you have a team that you’re sort of leaning to of those four? I think OKC will win it. I mean, let’s say it’s a safest bet, right? They’ve been winning everything, so why not pick them? We just have a great organization with great players that understand the assignment. And even in a league like this, you can tell that, you know, they bring it all together. And they left off right from where they started from the last or this past season. They have a bunch of draft picks still to come in future years. Baji slams with two hands. And they brought, you know, brought this team up with draft picks. Although not many bonafide top by you know Jet Homegrren sort of being the representative there of their bonafide lottery picks but you know guys like SGA that got on in a trade Jaylen Williams Santa Clara stand out nobody was thinking he was top five caliber guy it was kind of a rise for him to be drafted as he was uh playing the lottery there Oklahoma City with what you said their infrastructure Right. But they they do a great job of developing their young players to to have impactful minutes during the course of the game. I mean, you go back to Kase Wallace and yes, his his success that he’s had in the playoffs this past season, but you know, it doesn’t matter if they have a star player or a player that’s been drafted lay first, lay second. Guys like Aaron Wiggins, you know, is another name that sticks out to me that’s had a great run in the playoffs. I mean, these guys are going to all have meaningful minutes is because of the development that they have over there. And their team will get expensive. I mean they just made the contact extensions finalized those with homegrin laying that one in and Jade up as well as Shay Gil just Alexander just adding in more years and more dollar figures to his bank account. But their draft picks will help. You can see their projected extension number. Wow. I mean that was just kind of my first time seeing that in front of me. 822 M. Yeah, that that that’s a lot. That’s a lot of zeros at the end of it. But when you have draft picks in the future, you can still get cheap contributors to help add into what is it will be an expensive core for sure. And look, yeah, it’s expensive, but those guys deserve it. Every bit of penny, they deserve it. I mean, they had an outstanding playoff run. Their chemistry was amazing. Listening to Jaylen Williams on his interview, his the best part for him wasn’t just winning the championship. Yeah, that’s one thing, but his best part was the camaraderie that they had together and his ability to spend time with his teammates was the one thing that stuck out him the most for in um in the NBA playoffs. But as rosy as the picture looks right now for Oklahoma City and in the future with those draft picks incoming, you just talked to Denver about what it’s like to try to follow up the championship, but people assume that you’ll get right back. It’s not that easy as Curtis Jones lays it in. As Curtis Jones makes another unbelievable play going to the basket, but you said it best, it’s not always guaranteed that you go back to the finals. I mean, look at Boston Celtics. You know, one big- time injury can change the whole trajectory of a season, right? Tyrese Hallebert, you see him go down unfortunately for game seven. You just never know. So, you got to be able to like maximize the opportunities that you have as a team and as an organization when you have the right pieces to contend. Haven’t had a repeat champion since the Steph Curry, Kevin Durant Warriors. And every time a team wins a championship, you just got to imagine they’ll be back next year, right? You can’t see a scenario where they don’t get back, but injuries or just other teams getting better. Not only are they not getting winning the championship the next year, reasonably they’re not getting past the second round for defending champions. Yeah, just a tough break for Tyrese and the Pacers after having been such a a great run to get to the finals. I’m sure they’ll be back again in some shape or form because of a player like Tyrese Hallebert once he gets back on the court. He’s such a dynamic player. He’ll have the pieces around him to be successful to make another run when he gets back. So, here’s the last seven NBA champions. Raptors didn’t get past the second round the next year. Lakers didn’t get past the second round. Bucks did not get past the second round. Keep going. It’s the new NBA then the way the NBA set up, the way the rules are structured, the way the game is played, frankly, and that’s the way it’s set up right now. Right. And it’s fun from a fan perspective, right? Because not the same. Exactly. not the same teams are going back year after year. Like you mentioned, the last seven teams have been different. And you know, from a fan perspective, it does make the game a lot more interesting to tune in obviously because there’s so many teams that have a chance to win it rather than one or two teams. And I thought I saw a note and I don’t have the exact numbers in front, but like you know since Adam Silver’s been the commissioner, there’s been maybe like as many different NBA champions as there was in the entire run that David Stern had as the commissioner. Yeah, Adam has done a great job of creating that parody where it’s not just one main player for just one market, right? Before it was just, okay, the best players play in the best market. And now you got guys like Anthony Edwards playing in Minnesota, right? Dion Williams in New Orleans, SGA, Chad, Jaylen in OKC. You know, now it’s a little bit spread out, right? And so now the competitive balance is better. It’s a lot better for fans to watch when you see these teams compete. Denver starting to get that separation. Lakers trying to fight back. Down 11, just under six left. Tough finish inside. Beman off the rim. Bounces back out to Johnson off the back of the iron. Here come the Lakers. See if the Lakers can make one more push right now to get themselves back in the ball game. And it starts off with a nice little three by RJ Davis. Signed an exhibit 10 deal in 2024 Jerry West award winner is the top shooting guard in the nation. A three-point shooter at UNCI bullies. just off the penetration and pressure that Curtis Jones has been putting on the Lakers on every possession by getting downhill and creating an easier opportunity for his big fellow Baji. Stewart whistle as he pulls up right at the free throw line. Foul on Denver. K AE coming back in. Showed some great flashes in the first half defensively. Yeah, this activity was great. That length you switched out on the guard a couple times is which is what you want to see from your big nowadays to be able to stay in front of guards at that size. Active hands defensively. Here come the Nuggets. Williams screens and rolls. And then stood tall. Gordon slotted. There’s Ka again. Oh, Donovan Williams. A little extra in that one. Listen, somebody better take notice of KO right now because he’s looking like a big that you need on your team to protect that paint. He’s bumped from behind. Gordon came flying. Locked shot. You know, KO doesn’t get the two points for that, right? But, you know, he impacted that play to give his team the two points and it’s all you want to see as a young player is impact the winning as Curtis Jones makes another three coming off the pick and roll. Man, he’s playing phenomenal right now. as the Iowa State Sharpshooter the microwave scorer. This is the largest lead of the game for Denver. Davis somehow got it to the glass. K a definiti akabundu au by Jones again. 22 points team high. One of five players in double figure scoring for the Nuggets. Curtis Jones, one of five since 1997 in college basketball to average 17 points per game off the bench. They lead by 17. At apartments.com, we go above and beyond to make renting easier on every single level. There we go. Giving renters detailed guides on a neighborhood level, apartment community level, and unit level, allowing you to see the exact unit that you’re going to be living in. But we didn’t stop there. We’ve got renting down to the cellular level. Closer. Closer. Wow. Hey, little guy. Apartments.com. The place. Oh. To find a place. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a big deal before. I got you. But now Wendy’s has buck biscuits. Like the honey buddy chicken biscuit, so you’ll never skip breakfast again if you’re smart. Breakfast for a buck? Got to be Wendy’s. Dreaming of the perfect family trip. Who are you? Penny Price Lines AI travel assistant. How about Eco Resort? Free breakfast zipline. Done. Yes. Price. But wait, there’s Marco and Mike. So, what do you think of Marco’s Pizza with Mike’s Hot Honey? It’s so good. Marco’s Hot Honey Magnificico is back for summer with dough made in-house daily topped with two kinds of pepperoni all drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey. Only at Marcos. And Harry Kane scores another goal. Is there anything Harry Kardus is switching to new Sketchers football boots? Checkmate. Incredible. That’s impressive. This guy could do anything in Sketchers. New Sketchers football. It’s comfort that performs. Well, if you’re wondering why Denver Nuggets is up 9982, has a lot to do with Curtis Jones. I mean, his ability to get inside the paint, look for his big reading ball screens, pick and roll really well, shooting off the screen. See right there in his defensive effort, his his communication has been phenomenal from a point guard perspective and even real good point guard play for the Denver Nuggets. getting to the basket off the right right. I mean, that’s the type of play that you want to see your point guard make. And I’ve told you this time and time again, Chris, you have great point guard play more times than none. You’re going to win the ball game because of the decision making that your point guards making. And Curtis Jones has been doing it all game long. Is he a point guard or a points guard? Scoring a lot of points. 22 of them says four rebounds, four of eight for three. He’s getting his own, right? You know, but look, you look at a guy like Jamal Murray, right? He came into this league as a scoring guard, but now he kind of became more of a playmaker too as well, playing with a guy like Joker. You know, there’s room for players like that that come in as a scoring guard and then they kind of have the maturating process of when the game slows down and getting their guys involved. And when you’re aggressive like that, it’s easier for you to make assists and get your six to seven, eight assists a game because of the aggressiveness and the pressure that you’re putting on the defense. And Curtis Jones is doing that right now. He’s putting pressure on the offense, too. Think you got three quarters court, which you have to do as a guard at summer league. It’s almost like a rule, especially if you’re listed under 6’4. To the corner. Three for ser Jabari Rice off the rim. and out of bounds. Lakers thought it was last touch by Denver. The officials disagree. At the Lakers staff disagrees and Lindseay Harding calls timeout to challenge with 248 to go and her team down 17. Two summer sensations are flying into DQ. One is sure to save the summer and the other, yeah, he’s Superman. Hurry in for the new Superman cake better cookie dough blizzard treat right now at DQ. We asked Howie Mandela to describe new hands-free cozy fit Sketcher slip-ins. They’re like little soft puff jackets for your feet. These are like cozy little slippers for the street. Introducing new hands-free cozy fit Sketcher slip-ins. Ultra comfortable sneakers you just step into with no bending down or touching people. They’re good for squad goals and squad people are good for these kinds of cheers and these kinds of cheers. Jim Bean best enjoyed together. Official spirit of US Soccer. But wait, there’s Marco and Mike. So, what do you think of Marco’s pizza with Mike’s Hot Honey? It’s so good. Marco’s Hot Honey Magnico is back for summer with dough made in-house daily topped with two kinds of pepperoni all drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey. Only at Marcos. Lakers challenging an out of bounds play under three minutes left. Summer League finale Denver in Los Angeles. We have players with different stories, right? Guys who are on the roster, guys who are looking for roster spots with their current team, guys who are looking for roster spots on rosters all around the world. All right. So, DC, when they finish up here, their final game in Vegas, kind of take me through the timeline of what a player goes through before their next game, wherever it is. Well, summer league has been a brutal schedule for these players. And a lot of these players are coming from college and they didn’t really have much time off, right? Some of them had to do pre-draft workouts, getting ready for the draft, and then they had to get ready for the summer league. The ruling on the floor is upheld. There was not clear and conclusive evidence. Therefore, the call stands. Los Angeles will lose their timeout and their ability to challenge. Yeah, but to finish the point, you know, they had to get ready for summer league. So, you know, they’ll probably take about a few weeks off and then, you know, hopefully they’ll get a call from a team and hopefully it’s a good call that they’re able to make a training camp roster and become a two-way player. And some of these players may have even better opportunities overseas to make a lot of money, too, as well. And people representing teams all around the world gather here to Vegas in the summertime. And how you doing these final three minutes? Even in a game like this 17-point game, it matters. Beman puts it on the deck. Quick dish. Rain Smith. A couple of second half threes. Not this time. Jones spins. He’s had a big night. 22 points. Beakman for a three. Look at that. Unbelievable effort by Kale. Unbelievable effort. I mean, he’s crashing the glass with force. He’s putting a lot of pressure and making it difficult for the Lakers to box him out. rewarded with the inbounds pass. Has it on the perimeter. We saw him attempt a three earlier on in this game. This time takes a turn and goes all the way to the rim. As we’re talking about guys who have impressed you tonight, I feel like whether you call him KO as that’s the beginning part of his first name or K A as that’s all three of his first and then hibernated last name together. He’s been great. Yeah, his well I call him Kale that’s his nickname but you know you look at the box scoreer you know he doesn’t have that many points but how many times have you seen him alter shots by guarding a point guard on the perimeter right and making it difficult for like a guy like RJ Davis when he goes to the basket or how many times do you see him crashing the glass on the offensive end to give him another his team an easy opportunity and another opportunity and another possession within the half court set. So there’s a lot of good things that he’s done and doesn’t show up on the box floor and I’m sure his coaching staff is very pleased with his effort. Born in Nigeria, KO, he never touched the basketball until he moved to the United States at age 13. There he is right there. He spent the last two years playing in Germany in Italy going back to when he was in college. Played at UT Arlington and then finished up at Memphis. Just an example of how basketball can take you all around the globe. Yes. Take care of you, take care of your family. A global sport like you mentioned and it can do so many great things when you do when you take care of it. Donovan Williams true on a three 21point lead. That’s a nice number in Las Vegas with a minute 45 left. I got to say it was not a nice night for me last night in Vegas. Couldn’t get there. Couldn’t get to 21. So you were saying you were you and OKC was spending a lot of money yourself. I didn’t have that kind of payroll, but relative to scale felt like that was I didn’t have any birthday luck. It was my birthday yesterday. Had to give it a try and it didn’t work out. Back that table unkind from the corner way off from Jones. That’s one of the few things that has not gone his way. foul in the back court with a minute 23 left. Although, you know, had a had a poor night at the blackjack table. At least wasn’t at a Cold Play concert. You going that route, huh? Yeah. I’m gonna stay off that top. It always could be worse for sure. Davis throws it away. And nothing against Cold Play, right? Certainly nothing against them. Nuggets trying to finish this one out, pick up their second summer league win, and then get ready for what would be an exciting season with the changes they’ve made, the addition of Cam Johnson presumably to do what Smith just did, hit threes in the corner off great passes. Yeah, Smith shot the ball really well today. Curtis Jones did a great job of play making for his teammates, but Chaos and that pick and roll, him rolling sets a lot of pre puts a lot of pressure on the defensive end for the for Lakers to collapse too. Give Smith that open three in the corner. So, no Bronny, no Dalton connects, no Basley, no GS for the Lakers in this game. Although Swider had a great start in the first quarter, sort of cooled off after that. Has 17 team high joining RJ Davis. Williams three shorts for the Nuggets playing without Hunter Tyson, Don Holmes, Logan Johnson, EJ Liddell, and others. But they did have Curtis Jones in his 22 points. One of five players in double figures scoring for the Nuggets. And they cruise past the Lakers 106- 84. Strong second half. This was a close game in the first. Nuggets win. They go to two and three in summer league and the Lakers finish one and four. More summer league action coming your way tomorrow on NBA TV, the ESPN app. So long from Vegas. Thanks for watching

Watch live as the Denver Nuggets take on Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers in an intense showdown at the 2025 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas! Get ready for high-flying action, rising stars, and breakout rookie performances.