Reaves Lifts Lakers Past Warriors as Podziemski, Hansen Headline Busy Preseason Night
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Los Angeles, CA — The Lakers collected their first preseason victory on Sunday, outscoring the Warriors 126-116 at Crypto.com Arena after opening exhibition play with two defeats.
Lakers
Guard Austin Reaves paced Los Angeles with 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting in 23 minutes. The third-year guard, who is expected to shoulder more of the offense while LeBron James rests a sciatica flare-up, briefly left in the third quarter after a knee to his lower leg but returned without restriction.
“I think Austin’s fine,” head coach JJ Redick said, noting the guard’s “explosive and efficient” play throughout camp. The Lakers play three more preseason games—Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday—before three off-days leading into the Oct. 21 opener, also against Golden State.
Warriors
Golden State’s eight-game preseason winning streak, dating to last year, ended while the club rested Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford and ruled out Moses Moody for the remainder of preseason with a strained calf.
The absences allowed second-year guard Brandin Podziemski to log a career-best outing: 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, eight assists and five rebounds in 26 minutes. Forward Jonathan Kuminga added 13 points and six assists but did not record a rebound.
Head coach Steve Kerr said the staff is “tinkering with combinations” after the Warriors shot 33 percent from three-point range and attempted no free throws in the first half, while the Lakers went 13-for-15 at the line.
Trail Blazers
In Portland, rookie center Yang Hansen highlighted a one-point win over the Kings by scoring 14 of his 20 points in the third quarter, hitting all five of his shots and both three-point attempts during the burst. Through two preseason contests, the 7-foot-1 20-year-old is averaging 10 points on 54 percent shooting, including 40 percent from deep.
“That boy different,” guard Caleb Love said. “He’s a talent, he’s a joy to be around, and he’s just getting better.” Hansen’s early production has positioned him for possible rotation minutes once the regular season begins.
Source: Hoops Wire
