Bronny James stats tonight: Lakers star struggles in loss to Cooper Flagg & Mavericks in Summer League (July 10)

The Dallas Mavericks defeated Bronny James and the LA Lakers 87-85 in a Summer League game on Thursday at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

James finished with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and a turnover in 21 minutes. He shot 2-for-8, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range. James scored the first five points of the game, but missed his next six attempts and was scoreless in the second half. He went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Cooper Flagg finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in his Summer League debut. Cole Swider led the Lakers with a game-high 22 points.

The game featuring James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, and Flagg, the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA draft, was much talked about and highly anticipated. According to TickPick, the lower bowl tickets sold for $650 and courtside seats cost $2,500, making it the most expensive Summer League ticket. Fans lined up outside Thomas & Mack Center as early as four hours before tip off.

On Thursday, Bronny James scored the first five points of the game. He played four and a half minutes in his first stint and also had a rebound and an assist. The Lakers trailed 19-17 at the end of the opening quarter.

James played six minutes in the second period. At halftime, he had eight points on 2-for-4 (1-for-3 from 3-point range). He also had a rebound, an assist and a turnover. James went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the first half. LA outscored Dallas 30-24 in the second quarter to take a 47-43 lead into the break.

James played six and a half minutes in the third quarter on two stints. After hitting his first two shots to start the game, James missed four straight attempts. After three quarters, the Mavericks had a 68-62 lead over the Lakers.

James was benched after playing the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. He returned to action with under a minute remaining. James did not score in the second half and missed what could have been the game-winning 3-pointer.

Bronny James' stats tonight

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Bronny James	8	2	2	0	0	1	2-8	1-6	3-4	-3

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Bronny James on how he can impact the Lakers next season: "Got to be a defensive menace"

Bronny James is set to appear in his second NBA season after being drafted as the No. 55 pick last year. On Saturday, James told media members that his primary focus this offseason is improving defensively, while he acknowledged that he will not be a scorer for the LA Lakers.

"It's definitely maybe thinking about being aggressive on that end of the floor," James said. "I can’t lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor, because there are going to be guys who can score 15, 20 a game. So, I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now. To get myself on the floor, I’ve got to be a defensive menace."

Last season, Bronny James split time with LA's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. In 11 G League games, the 6-foot-2 guard put up 21.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.5 apg and 1.9 spg on 44.0% shooting, including 38.0% from 3-point range.

In 27 NBA games as a rookie, playing 6.7 minutes primarily during garbage time, James averaged 2.3 points per game on 31.3% shooting.