Led by Austin Reaves, the Lakers had a big first half to earn their first preseason win on Sunday against the Warriors.
Behind a strong first half that saw them build a 21-point lead, the Lakers earned their first win of the preseason, knocking off the Warriors, 126-116.
Austin Reaves ended with 21 points on 7-10 shooting in 23 minutes before exiting the game after suffering an injury, though he remained on the bench. Rui Hachimura scored 16 points in 27 minutes of play. Deandre Ayton looked solid with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 26 minutes.
Gabe Vincent pitched in with 13 points off the bench. Dalton Knecht had 16 points, filling in as a starter. Jarred Vanderbilt grabbed four rebounds, dished two dimes and tallied six points.
LA jumped to a quick five-point lead, all scored by Reaves. Brandin Podziemski stopped that run with a layup. Ayton started heating up for Los Angeles, scoring four points. Hachimura drained a 3-pointer.
The Lakers were shooting 63% from the field and the Warriors were at 54%.
Hachimura knocked down his second 3-pointer of the quarter. He also converted on a layup and jumper, pushing his point total to 10. Gabe Vincent drained a 3-pointer of his own.
By the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by six.
Los Angeles started the second period with four straight points. Vanderbilt converted on two layups after missing his first few shots. Ayton continued his strong offensive showing, scoring four more points, putting him in double figures.
Hachimura converted on a four-point play. LA was shooting 42% from behind the arc, while the Warriors were shooting a brutal 18%.
The Lakers were on a 20-7 scoring run with 3:50 left until halftime. Golden State started to slowly wake up its offense with five straight points. Jake LaRavia answered with a layup. The Warriors converted on a few dunks.
At halftime, LA was up by 17.
Ayton started things in the second half for the Lakers with a layup. He was an impressive 6-7 from the field for the game. Golden State drained three 3-pointers, two from Quinten Post, to start to cut into the lead.
Reaves threw up a lob to Vanderbilt who connected with a dunk. Los Angeles was up by 14. At the 6:28 mark, Reaves was subbed out after tweaking his ankle.
Podz scored four straight points. Hachimura answered with a layup. The quarter started heating up for both teams as they drained a few 3-pointers. Despite the Warriors coming back, the Lakers kept the lead by five going into the final frame.
R.J. Davis saw some playing time and knocked down a 3-pointer. This quarter was turning into the battle of the benches. At the halfway point, LA was up nine.
Nick Smith Jr. put up six points to help keep Los Angeles up late and help us avoid the dreaded preseason overtime.
Key Takeaways:
Ayton has been playing with a ton of confidence that is helping him improve each game. His midrange shot looked automatic.
The team shot 44% from behind the arc in this game, something they can build on as they progress through the preseason and into the actual season.
