Cooper Flagg Struggles, Ryan Nembhard Leads the Way as Mavericks Defeat Lakers in Summer League Primetime Matchup

Cover photo: The Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg works on the Los Angeles Lakers’ Bronny James in Summer League action on July 9 from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Mavericks won the game 87-85.

The 2025 NBA Las Vegas Summer League tipped off on Thursday with a primetime 8 p.m. eastern time matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was billed as Cooper Flagg vs. Bronny James, but it was Ryan Nembhard, the undrafted guard brother of the Indiana Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard, who led the way in the 87-85 Mavericks win. 

Nembhard, 22 years of age, spent 2021-2023 with the Creighton Blue Jays and for his junior and senior seasons played at Gonzaga. In his senior season he averaged 11.7 points and 6.6 assists per game. On Thursday in Vegas, he put on an impressive showing, with skills akin to his older brother. Nembhard scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting with 5 assists. Miles Kelly, like Nembhard an undrafted player, was impressive with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.   

Flagg was scoreless in the second half after scoring 10 points in the first two quarters, missed all five of his 3-point makes and was 5-for-21 from the field. He misfired early, a case of nerves and adjusting. The high volume was atypical for a summer league game, but you could tell that Flagg was trying to get his rhythm. He was making an effort getting to the basket. On one play, he leapt from the hashes on the free-throw circle and narrowly missed a massive dunk attempt. One of the things that color commentator Tim Legler pointed out was that many of Flagg’s attempts were shots that he would have hit in college, but an adjustment will need to be made in the pros as he faces different athletes and defenders. Still, Flagg’s game is not built around scoring, and he impacted the game in other ways with his passing, rebounding, and his defense. He is an alert and aware player who makes good reads. He finished with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He has a solid handle for a guy his size and is a very good athlete.

For the Lakers, Dalton Knecht played a good game with 15 points, despite 6-of-16 shooting. He made 3-of-7 attempts from 3-point range though he did get banged up late in the game with a leg injury. Cole Swider, 26 years old and undrafted in 2022, put up 22 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-10 including 6-of-9 from deep. James in 21 minutes scored 8 points on 2-of-8 and 1-of-6 from deep. He did however play solid defense (even battling with Flagg at one point) and one of his two makes was a good looking jump shot over Flagg. Darius Bazley, drafted 23rd overall in 2019 by the Utah Jazz, grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 8 points. 

With the clock ticking down in the final seconds, it was James who had the ball on the left wing. James stepped back for a 3-point attempt but it missed, sealing the win for the Mavericks. The Lakers face the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. while the Mavericks face the San Antonio Spurs at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.