The Lakers played one of the last teams they saw in the preseason, facing Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James and Austin Reeves did not wear uniforms for precautionary reasons, and Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell combined for 30 points in the first half in a 125-108 loss. .
Both teams played their starters in the first half and then gave up time to their reserves in the second half.
With key rotation players on the court, the Lakers’ performance was largely mixed. Just like in the playoffs, Davis attacked Warriors center Kevon Looney in the paint and around the basket, then stepped back and hit two 3-pointers. Davis had 15 points and 5 rebounds in less than 13 minutes.
Before the game, coach Davon Hamm advocated for Davis to be free to play offensively, hoping that he would be more aggressive when the shot came up.
“It’s just a matter of him taking different opportunities and making quick decisions. It’s not like, ‘Okay, I need you to go out and knock down a three every time you drive,'” Hamm said. “Just doing things that make sense within the confines of what we’re trying to do offensively.” If you need a post-up, if you need a short shot, if you need a pick-and-roll three, then do it. “
Russell also attacked Golden State’s defense, showing off his ability to score at the rim, in the mid-range and beyond the arc.
However, without James and Reeves, the Lakers’ two primary playmakers, the ball stalled too frequently on offense and the team couldn’t find any sustained rhythm.
For the Warriors, Thompson scored 10 points, Curry scored 8 points, and new point guard Chris Paul scored 6 points and 5 assists.
Max Christie scored 15 points (13 in the second half) and Rui Hachimura scored 12 for the Lakers. Freshmen Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood scored seven and five points, respectively.
Lakers forward Cam Reddish left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle.
Before the game, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr continued to praise Reeves, whom he coached at the FIBA World Cup this summer with Team USA.
“Certainly, coaching him is a lot better than coaching him,” Kerr said. “I love coaching him. Austin is a great guy, very talented. I think he’s more talented than people give him credit for. I mean he’s really skilled, he’s athletic, he’s smart, Tough, he’s got it all. He gave us a lot of trouble last year and gave everybody a lot of trouble, and there’s a reason for that.”
Reeves is expected to play against Brooklyn on Monday in Las Vegas. James said this week that he intends to play in half of the Lakers’ six preseason games.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.