LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Anthony Davis all played in their first preseason game as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 129-126, in Las Vegas.
Even though most of the Lakers’ starters only saw action in the first half, they were in fine condition on Monday. In 20 minutes of action, James tallied 10 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds; Davis had nearly a double-double with 13 points and 7 boards; and Reaves scored 18 points.
D’Angelo Russell was on fire from deep, sinking four of five attempts and contributing 14 points. The starting point guard was Taurean Prince, but it was Rui Hachimura who came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 19 points.
The Lakers were trying out a new starting lineup for the season opener against the Nets, so they needed to get off to a solid start. The first shot the Nets attempted was blocked by Davis, and he promptly passed it to Reaves for a 3-pointer. After a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers started the second quarter by replacing LeBron with Jaxson Hayes after a 3-for-3 performance from Russell from deep.
Former Laker Lonnie Walker IV hit a pair of free throws as time expired in the first quarter to give the Nets a one-point lead. Los Angeles had led by as much as eight before the surge.
To open the second half, the Lakers went for broke by starting a large lineup with James, Davis, and Christian Wood. After falling down, this group went on a 7-0 run and outscored Brooklyn 17-5 to take the lead for good. The Lakers’ defense kept the Nets in check as they sailed to a 75-61 halftime lead.
Due to the nature of the preseason, LeBron, Davis, and Russell all sat out the second half. The second team struggled in the third quarter, giving away most of the 14-point advantage before coach Darvin Ham called a timeout at the 7:05 mark to staunch the bleeding.
While defense remains optional in the preseason, the rest of the quarter descended into insanity midway through when Cam Thomas and Reaves engaged in a three-point contest (which Thomas won 3-2 before being subbed out).
The rookie Lakers saw more playing time during the period. Despite Max Christie’s continued foul issues (he picked up four in the first 12 minutes), Jalen Hood-Schifino showed promise in 15 minutes of action, while Maxwell Lewis had a great fourth quarter (he finished the game shooting 4-for-5 from the field). He also performed his first “freeze” celebration of the preseason.
With a dunk from Lewis, a charge from D’Moi Hodge, and a rebound from Colin Castleton at the buzzer, the Lakers’ young core sealed the deal in the fourth and sent the team back to Los Angeles with a victory. Certainly not something we do often.
