Bronny James was in action for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night against the Dallas Mavericks. The second-year shooting guard logged nine minutes off the bench, registering five points, one assist and a three-pointer in L.A.’s 134-128 loss to the Mavs.
This marked James’ fifth straight game for the Lakers. The 21-year-old has been a consistent fixture in head coach JJ Redick’s rotation of late amid L.A.’s injury crisis.
The Lakers lost both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the span of 48 hours. Marcus Smart also remains out, leaving the backcourt severely depleted. Redick has had to turn to his reserves, including James, during the final stretch of the regular season.
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Unfortunately for James, the disappointing loss to Cooper Flagg and Co. was not the only bit of bad news he received on Sunday. Shortly after the Lakers-Mavs game, James learned about the result of the South Bay Lakers’ NBA G League playoff game against the Stockton Kings.
South Bay’s season came to a bitter end on Sunday in the Western Conference Final. They lost to Stockton, 101-97. The Kings are now headed to the finals against the Greensboro Swarm.
James has been an integral part of South Bay’s season. The former USC Trojans standout made 14 appearances in the G League this year, averaging 15.6 points on 56.0% shooting, 3.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 triples in 28.9 minutes per contest.
James, however, was called up to the NBA amid the myriad of injuries the Lakers have had to deal with. After helping South Bay clinch the No. 1 seed in the West with a 26-10 record, James was forced to miss all three of the team's single-elimination playoff games.
South Bay defeated the San Diego Clippers on Wednesday, 122-119, in the first round. They took down the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the next round on Friday, 112-97. Sunday’s loss to the Kings marked the end of the season for South Bay.
The NBA G League Finals will start on Wednesday. It will be a best-of-three series between the Kings and the Swarm.
Given the Lakers’ injury situation, it would be reasonable to assume James would not have been able to play in the G League Finals even if South Bay had advanced.
