Larry Nance Jr. gives Lakers a spark in summer league win over 76ers

Reporting from LAS VEGAS —  No Julius Randle, no problem for Larry Nance Jr.

With Randle given a day of rest as he continues his recovery from a broken leg, Nance filled in admirably, putting up eight points and five rebounds in addition to three steals and two blocks during the Lakers’ 68-60 summer league victory over Philadelphia.

The 27th overall pick had six first-quarter points, including a tip dunk off a Jordan Clarkson miss and another jam after ripping the ball away from an opposing player. His only other bucket came at the end of the third quarter, but it was an explosive one: another tip dunk, this time over Philadelphia guard T.J. McConnell, leading to chants of “Larry” at the Thomas and Mack Center.

Nance’s hustle was arguably the difference maker for the Lakers. He was aggressive grabbing rebounds and also provided consistent help on defense. At one point in the second half, he slid over from the weakside in time to swat a Jahlil Okafor layup attempt off the backboard, which energized the Lakers bench.

The “Larry” chants returned twice more in the fourth quarter, which Nance acknowledged after the Lakers beat the 76ers, 68-60.

“That was actually pretty cool,” Nance Jr. said. “This is a Mountain West crowd. We won a tournament here at Wyoming, so I think a lot of people remember that. It was a very cool atmosphere and I couldn’t be more happy about it.”