Bronny James starts 1st game of season for short-handed Lakers against Bucks – Orange County Register
MILWAUKEE — With the Lakers short-handed against the Milwaukee Bucks, second-year guard Bronny James started his first game of the season on Saturday night.
James started alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton on Fiserv Forum, with the Lakers playing the second night of a back-to-back set after Friday night’s 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
He entered Saturday averaging 12.1 minutes per game, nearly double the 6.7 minutes he averaged as a rookie.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (left calf soreness) and Marcus Smart (viral illness), both of whom started on Friday against the Pelicans, weren’t available for Saturday’s road-trip-ending matchup.
The Lakers ruled Hachimura out Saturday afternoon, with Smart being ruled out two hours before tipoff.
Saturday was Hachimura’s first missed game of the season. He recorded 14 points and four rebounds in 35 minutes against the Pelicans.
Coach JJ Redick said Hachimura had been experiencing tightness in his calf “all week”.
“With a back-to-back, probably just smart to hold him out,” Redick said. “But I don’t think it will be a lingering thing. We’ll miss him. It feels like every game I’m coaching, it’s this way. So, nothing changes.”
Smart had 13 points, five assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals in 34 minutes against the Pelicans.
The Lakers went 2-2 in the first four games of the trip entering Saturday: blowout losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City; wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Pelicans.
After returning to Southern California, they’ll play just two games across eight days: Tuesday’s home game against the Utah Jazz and a road game against the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Nov. 23.
THIERO’S DEBUT
As expected, rookie forward Adou Thiero made his NBA debut in Saturday’s game.
Thiero, whom the Lakers selected out of Arkansas with the No. 36 pick in June’s NBA draft after moving up twice to acquire the pick to select him, was sidelined for summer league, preseason and the team’s first 12 regular-season games as he recovered from left knee surgery he had in April.
He was available on Friday, but didn’t play.
Redick’s message for Thiero was simple: “Just be a banshee.”
Thiero, who subbed in for LaRavia at the 1:48 mark of the first quarter for his first NBA action, grabbed an offensive rebound on the Lakers’ first offensive possession with him in the game, eventually leading to Maxi Kleber knocking down a 3-pointer for second-chance points.
LION
Redick was wearing a custom Ayton shirt pregame with the front featuring Ayton’s face mixed with a lion.
Ayton, who had 20 points, 16 rebounds and two steals against the Pelicans on Friday, also wore the shirt pregame.
“We just want him to be a lion,” Redick said. “That’s all. We want him to be a lion.”
Ayton had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with six rebounds and a pair of steals at halftime against the Bucks on Saturday night.