On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to the hardwood for the first time in preseason action, taking on the Golden State Warriors on the road.
The major men on each squad didn’t get much playing time during the regular season, but there were a few fresh faces. Losing to the Warriors by a score of 125-108, the Lakers’ performance in this game left much to be desired.
Since LeBron James and Austin Reaves were both absent for the Lakers, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Gabe Vincent were thrust into the starting lineup. In the meanwhile, with Draymond Green still out by an ankle injury, the Warriors presented a new lineup with Chris Paul and Stephen Curry in the backcourt, along with Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney in the frontcourt.
With the Warriors’ lack of size allowing him to thrive on both ends of the court, Davis got the Lakers off to a fast start. After one quarter, the Warriors led 29-23 thanks in large part to Klay Thompson’s early success.
The Lakers’ short-handed second unit was certain to have a rough start to the second quarter since the team was already missing two starters. While Davis hit back-to-back 3-pointers, the Lakers went cold from the floor, allowing the Warriors to extend their advantage to 50-32. 26 of Los Angeles’ opening 32 points came from Davis and Russell.
After taking a timeout, the Lakers began cutting into their lead with Russell’s alley-oop to Jaxson Hayes and Vanderbilt’s three-pointer. After another 3-pointer from Vanderbilt brought the score back down to single digits, Russell sank one of his own to help the Lakers close the gap to 61-54 at the break.
Christian Wood and Max Christie started the third quarter in lieu of Davis and Russell after Darvin Ham elected to rest them both following their impressive first halves. The Warriors, like the Clippers, benched their starters during the second half, allowing several of the bench players to get extended action.
L.A. capitalized on the opportunity with three-pointers from Hachimura, Vincent, and Christie, but the Warriors remained hot from long range as well. Christie showed promise with solid two-way play in the third quarter, but the Lakers slipped in the final 10 minutes and fell behind, 95-83, going into the final frame.
Preseason injuries are something you really want to avoid, but Cam Reddish walked off in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
As the game wound down, the Lakers’ younger players including Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, Colin Castleton, and D’Moi Hodge saw significant minutes due to the absence of more experienced players. They were obviously outclassed, and the Warriors were able to pull away to a comfortable victory.
