EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Bronny James dropped a career-high 39 points while the South Bay Lakers (14-17) inched past the Santa Cruz Warriors (18-13) 122-118 Monday, March 24 at the UCLA Health Training Center.
James returned to the South Bay lineup after a successful stint with the Los Angeles squad, and South Bay welcomed the infusion of offense he brought.
“Credit to him,” South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie said of James. “He had that great game in Milwaukee with the LA Lakers, and to come here and get some more reps with South Bay, it’s fantastic for him… He kept us organized. He put a lot of rim pressure on them for us offensively, he guarded well defensively and he executed the small details of the game.”
South Bay fell behind early in the first after Santa Cruz put together a 14-2 run to take the lead, a lead which they carried through the end of the quarter ahead of South Bay 26-17.
Both squads seemed to grow cold in the second quarter. Through the first five minutes of the second, each team had made just one shot apiece, and the score sat with Santa Cruz ahead 28-19.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
South Bay Lakers forward Cole Swider (0) flushes a fastbreak dunk during an NBA G-League basketball game against the Santa Cruz Warriors, Monday March 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif
The Lakers broke the lull with an 8-0 run to come within one of the Warriors, 28-27, with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter. Soon after, the Lakers finally reclaimed the lead with a free throw by forward Joirdon Nicholas to put South Bay ahead 29-28.
Despite the Lakers’ rise, they were never able to truly shake off the Warriors, and soon Santa Cruz turned the tide with a 9-2 run to close out the half still ahead 55-53.
South Bay shot more and missed more in the first half, shooting just 34.6% as a team and landing just one three-pointer the entire half.
South Bay continued to stay just behind Santa Cruz in the third until James drained a step-back three from the top of the arc, his first three of the game and just the Lakers’ second, to put South Bay ahead 67-64 with just under eight minutes left in the quarter.
James was the clear offensive standout in Monday night’s matchup, scoring 39 points while shooting 14-21 from the field, including four three-pointers, and yet, it was James’ off-the-ball contributions that stole just as much of the show. On top of his scoring, James pulled down seven rebounds and had four assists.
“I like to be available whenever the time comes, whether that’s off the ball, on the ball, screening, cutting… I like to be a threat wherever I am on the court,” James said.
Smiling his way to a new CAREER-HIGH ✨
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) March 25, 2025
39 POINTS, 7 REBOUNDS, 4 FROM 3 pic.twitter.com/sLAlwmrE0L
Similar to the second quarter, the Lakers had gained a lead but couldn’t hold it. Santa Cruz outscored South Bay 11-5 to close out the third ahead yet again 89-87.
James stole the ball in the fourth and took it down court, connecting with guard Sir’Jabari Rice who finished with a layup, putting the Lakers ahead with 99-95 with eight minutes remaining.
Rice was another key contributor in the win, scoring 20 points off the bench, while Nicholas was close behind with 19 points of his own.
South Bay began to click right when they needed to in the second half, stepping up both offensively and defensively.
“We had good runs of being physical, shocking the ball,” Nicholas said. “But, when we came back in the second half, we were just locked in together… we just stepped up to the plate, brought more energy, more aggressive.”
South Bay guard DaJuan Gordon drove to the paint, seeming to go up for a dunk. That's what the Warriors thought until Gordon turned mid air and shoved the ball toward Nicholas, who went up for the layup to improve the Lakers lead 107-97.
The Lakers were rolling, but the Warriors, as they had been all game, were not far behind.
Back-to-back three pointers by Santa Cruz forward Blake Hinson makes it just a two point game, 120-118, with 16 seconds left in the game.
South Bay swingman Stanley Johnson drew a foul and went to the line with 10 seconds remaining in the game. Johnson made both, giving the Lakers some much needed cushion. Johnson’s insurance was enough, and the Lakers held on to take the first game of the series 122-118.
South Bay wraps up the series with Santa Cruz in the last home game of the season Tuesday, March 25 at UCLA Health Training Center.
