LAS VEGAS - Anton Watson keeps finding ways to matter for the Los Angeles Lakers at Summer League, and Thursday was another reminder that his game travels well.
The former Gonzaga forward had already shown one side of that versatility in the Lakers’ opening game on July 9 against Oklahoma City, when he drew the defensive assignment on Thunder rookie Aday Mara. On paper, it was a tough ask for a 6-8 forward against a 7-3 lottery-pick center. Watson handled it anyway, bothering Mara throughout the night and holding the former Michigan standout to two points on 0 of 3 shooting in a convincing Lakers win.
Against the Chicago Bulls, Watson was asked to do something different. Los Angeles put the ball in his hands and let him work as a point forward and primary facilitator, and he delivered again. Watson finished with eight points on 3 of 5 shooting, four assists and just one turnover in a 105-82 win over Chicago and No. 4 draft pick Caleb Wilson.
“His versatility is great for us,” Lakers Summer League coach Ty Abbott said. “In a Summer League setting, you’re going to see a lot of pressure. You’re going to see man-to-man pressures, you’re going to see zone pressures and to have a guy like that where typically a ‘5’ won’t want to pick up as far back in the court.
“To have him be able to handle and be organized is great. Something we went to today, we’ve gone to a couple other times, but we just really appreciate his versatility.”
Watson didn’t record a steal, but he still made life difficult for Chicago with multiple deflections that led to turnovers. In just 17 minutes, he posted a team-best plus-28.
The Lakers’ win also pushed them into strong position for a Summer League title run. They entered Thursday as one of two unbeaten teams in Las Vegas, and Atlanta’s perfect start ended with a 96-64 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
That leaves Los Angeles as the top overall seed heading into the Summer League Playoffs, where it will face the fourth seed in Saturday’s semifinal. The winner moves on to Sunday’s championship game at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Thursday also brought a productive showing from another Gonzaga frontcourt alum. Graham Ike helped Golden State beat New York 87-77, finishing with 15 points on 4 of 10 shooting and 4 of 5 from the free throw line.
Ike was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer, but he led them in rebounds and blocks, finishing with nine boards and three rejections.
“I think Graham did a great job of kind of anchoring our defense from the back, rebounding the ball,” Warriors Summer League coach Khalid Robinson said. “His finishing around the rim and just his talking and communication, it gave us energy, it gave us a big boost.”
Golden State finished its four-game schedule in Vegas at 3-1 and could still land one of the four playoff spots. The catch is that as many as nine other teams can finish with the same record, so the Warriors may need a point-differential edge to get in.
Former Gonzaga signee Jack Kayil had a rough shooting night for New York, going for four points on 2 of 9 from the field and 0 of 7 from 3-point range. He also added five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers.
Cedric Coward’s last two games in Vegas were harder to stomach, even with Memphis winning both. Against Dallas and Memphis, the former Washington State and Eastern Washington wing shot 9 of 30 from the field and 3 of 12 from deep.
He bounced back against Atlanta, and the Grizzlies picked up their third win with Coward leading the offense in a 23-point effort. He shot 7 of 12 overall, 2 of 4 from 3 and 4 of 4 at the line, while adding three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
“I think our whole roster has done a good job, regardless of individual performances, regardless of wins and losses, we’ve just tried to stay steady,” Grizzlies Summer League coach Erik Schmidt said. “We’ve had the mentality of sticking to our identity and every single day chipping away.
Ced’s just a perfect example of that, of coming in tonight. Some shots fell for him, he contributed to the defensive side and we knew things would come around for him.”
Schmidt also pointed to Coward’s overall impact beyond the scoring. “He’s still been impacting the game well and tonight, similar to Javon Small in the last game, shots started falling for him,” Schmidt said. “I think people give him praise when they see the point total go up, but all throughout the roster guys are making winning plays.”
Memphis has now won three straight after dropping its opener to the Bulls and is still in the mix for a playoff berth.
Elsewhere, former Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard did not play for Dallas in a 97-87 win over Oklahoma City, missing his second straight game because of illness. Spokane native and Mt. Spokane native Tyson Degenhart scored four points on 2 of 4 shooting in Toronto’s 97-90 win over Miami, and he added two rebounds in 15 minutes.
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